


Rule Number Four

by orphan_account



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Based on a Tumblr Post, Chatting & Messaging, Cybersex, Espionage, Hacking, Interactive Fiction, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2014-09-12
Packaged: 2018-02-16 20:09:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 47,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2282970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pendragon Enterprise is the world's leading computer security company and ruthless when it comes to taking down malicious programmers. It's the perfect place for a skilled hacker like Merlin Ambrosius (codename: Emrys) to work undercover and gain a tactical advantage. But being the personal assistant for vice-CEO Arthur Pendragon is more complicated than Merlin expects. The female Pendragon threatens castration, Arthur apparently sleeps with all his PAs, and it only gets more complicated when the Kilgharrah virus causes a panic. Merlin might just have a solution though, because Anonymous...Anonymous is legion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. #233

**Author's Note:**

> Written for After Camlann Big Bang and inspired by [a tumblr post](http://neuroticnick.tumblr.com/post/52078162251). Thanks to [blue_eyed_1987](http://blue-eyed-1987.livejournal.com/) for the amazing beta job, and riththewarluid for the [awesome art](http://riththewarluid.tumblr.com/post/97285315310/passions-realized-an-art-piece-for-a-big-bang).
> 
>  **Warning:** I wouldn't try reading this offline, due to embedded links. (Hence the "interactive fiction" tag.) Most of said links are NSFW, though don't feel obligated to click the porny links by means ;)

Merlin’s arse was numb, his lower back was aching, and his eyesight was going blurry despite the fact that he was wearing his glasses. He pushed two fingers into the corners of his eyes, fighting back the dreariness threatening to overtake him, and arched backwards, cracking his spine before hunching over his keyboard again.

 

 **[03:33] <Emrys>** Are we done here? I need to sleep if I’m going to be at least halfway decent in a few hours.

 **[03:34] <WILL>** yeah i think everything’s sorted

 **[03:34] <Emrys>** You / _think_ /?

 **[03:34] <WILL>** no warning or threat detected messages so far, the upload’s got a few more minutes to go

 **[03:34] <WILL>** oh give me a break will you, it’s fine

 **[03:34] <WILL>** if i knew you’d be in my arse about it this much i wouldve agreed to let you do it and save myself the trouble

 **[03:34] <WILL>** but here i was thinking ‘nah, i’ll let the poor chap have a break, he’s starting that snobby office job in a few days’

 **[03:34] <Emrys>** Will.

 **[03:35] <WILL>** well sorrrrry if i don’t do something the exact same fucking way you would have done O Legendary One

 **[03:35] <Emrys>** It was just a question, calm the fuck down.

 **[03:35] <Emrys>** As long as you’re connected and they haven’t traced you, whatever.

 **[03:35] <Emrys>** Can I get some fucking sleep now without having to worry?

**< WILL> sighs.**

**[03:35] <WILL>** yeah, go get your beauty sleep. i’ll talk to you tomorrow.

 **[03:36] <Emrys>** Bye.

**** **< Emrys> is away (Behave Will.)** ****

 

Merlin pushed away from his desk and stretched his arms over his head before getting to his feet. He yawned as he navigated the wires and various computer parts strewn across his floor, then climbed into bed, set his glasses on the nightstand, and slipped under the duvet.

His tail bone was still a bit sore, so he reached a hand back to rub circles into it. He hoped this new job as personal assistant wouldn’t require too much sitting, because he did enough of that in his free time.

He wasn’t sure _what_ the job entailed exactly. He’d never been someone’s assistant before, but apparently that hadn’t mattered to Uther Pendragon. There’d been a short, to-the-point interview after having submitted his CV, to prove that he was competent with computers and capable of handling confidential files, while also willing to fetch coffee or lunch or whatever the junior Pendragon requested. And after getting the job, he’d had to go back a few days later to get his photo taken for a badge, sign various policy and insurance forms, and receive training using the company’s intranet.

That second visit was also when he’d first met the man he’d be working for: the equally uptight, crisp-suited, posh-mannered Arthur Pendragon, who’d simply shaken Merlin’s hand and said he hoped Merlin didn’t make him regret the decision to hire him. He hadn’t even allowed Merlin a response before disappearing back into his office.

But Pendragon Enterprise was the world’s best computer security company, and merciless against hackers such as him. A job here would give Merlin just the tactical position he needed, so he could maybe find it in himself to put up with proud, ridiculously fit prats.

As he drifted off to sleep, Merlin hoped he wouldn’t regret his decision to apply.

%%%

He woke up feeling like absolute shit. Thanks to his late night at the computer making sure Will established a safe connection to the Odin, Ltd. network, he hadn’t got nearly enough sleep, and was sure he’d have unprofessional shadows under his eyes. But if Merlin was going to keep this job, he didn’t have time to mourn the lack of rest. He dragged himself out of bed, walked half-blindly to the bathroom, and hurried to get ready, brushing his teeth in the shower.

As he put his contacts in (because his glasses were more gangly teenager style than corporate business style), he wondered if Will already inserted the worm into Odin’s system. Had Will stayed connected and seen the job through? Did he get caught, was he being traced by the Pendragon Enterprise team at that very moment? Which account had he wired the funds to if he was successful?

At the same time that Merlin decided to forego shaving in order to save time, he decided he’d ask Will about it when he got home. He didn’t have time to worry about it now, and he doubted Will was still awake, let alone logged on to the IRC.

He put on the same clothes that he’d worn to get his badge photo taken in, then realised that might be pathetic and changed his shirt to a crisp dark blue one. He hadn’t worn a tie last time, and it hadn’t been commented on, but maybe he should wear one now that he was starting. Merlin tried to think of what he’d seen other people wearing—Well, people that weren’t obviously upper echelon staff—but couldn’t remember. He decided he’d be safe and wear a simple black one, then spent nearly ten minutes trying to do the knot correctly because he hadn’t put on a tie in ages.

It was because of the damned tie that he had to skip breakfast altogether, not even a glass of water or anything. And who knew when he’d be getting a lunch break, because he could just tell from that one quick meeting that Arthur Pendragon was the type of man to work his PAs ragged.

Merlin did let himself pop into the IRC on his mobile while he walked to the tube station though, just to see what everyone was up to and to make sure they weren’t planning some elaborate takeover without him. One could never be too careful with that lot. Though usually as long as he left his main console logged in and just set his status to away they didn’t try to do anything major. Merlin could still see his admin username Emrys on the logged users list after he entered the password to join. There were only two other people there, knightstalker and morderator.

 _Well that’s good_ , Merlin thought. _At least Knight can keep things in order while I’m at work._

 

**** **< mobile_emrys>** joined #Legion

 **[07:49] <morderator>** I’m not sure whether or not I envy you or pity you. I’m leaning toward envy at the moment just because the last bolt of lightning made my cat jump out of my lap so quickly that she nearly clawed my dick.

 **[07:50] <morderator>** Oh hi Emrys

 **[07:50] <mobile_emrys>** What exactly have I walked into?

 **[07:50] <knightstalker>** mord was just telling me how he envies my cali sunshine due to the fact that he nearly lost his boy parts.

 **[07:50] <morderator>** Pretty much.

 **[07:51] <mobile_emrys>** Ah. Lovely.

 **[07:51] <knightstalker>** quite. how are you emrys?

 **[07:52] <mobile_emrys>** Sleep deprived and hungry. I’m on my way to my new job and I’m nearing the train so I’ll have to go soon. Just wanted to check in.

 **[07:53] <morderator>** Don’t worry, we’re behaving ;)

 

Merlin suppressed a cringe. Morderator had always creeped him out, and he honestly hated when he did emoticons like that, but he didn’t say anything. There was a chance the bloke was all of twelve for all Merlin knew, but he’d proved himself capable of at least packet sniffing, so Merlin allowed him in the chat. And Merlin never turned down the opportunity to teach someone who displayed almost more “free the internet” enthusiasm than him.

 

 **[07:53] <mobile_emrys>** Good. I’m off then. Talk to you later.

 **[07:53] <knightstalker>** goodbye my love! be sure to eat something if you can.

 **[07:54] <morderator>** Bye.

**** **< mobile_emrys>** quit #Legion.

%%%

The first person Merlin saw when he walked into the tall, shiny, intimidating building of Pendragon Enterprise was the security guard who’d got his badge and information together on his last visit. Merlin couldn’t remember his name, but he remembered the man being warm and friendly—a welcome change in pace among the elite business people walking around. Merlin approached him at the metal detector, going for what he hoped was a pleasant smile as he emptied his pockets.

“Morning,” Merlin said.

The guard simply titled his head a bit to the side at first, and Merlin’s stomach sank when he thought perhaps the man didn’t remember him. But then his eyes widened in recognition when Merlin took his shoes off and pushed the tray on the conveyor belt.

“Oh yeah, Mr Ambrosius! Now I remember,” he said. “Sorry, completely blanked for a moment.”

Merlin walked through the detector, coming out the other side without so much as a single beep, thankfully. “Doing better than me. I remembered your face but not your name.”

“Leon,” the guard said. He quickly glanced over Merlin’s items on the x-ray machine before reaching over and shaking Merlin’s hand. “Sorry again about you having to be Arthur’s assistant. That’s a fate no one deserves.”

Merlin laughed. “You can just call me Merlin. I always feel weird when people address me as Mr Ambrosius.” He picked up his shoes from the newly revealed tray and began putting them on. “So do you know Arthur well then? Sorry, it just sort of sounds like you might.”

Leon nodded. “He’s an old mate of mine. Got me this job actually.”

“Oh, so he does have a soul. I was wondering if there was anything besides a cold, shrivelled heart under that suit.” Merlin promptly blushed. “Not that I was wondering about—I mean—Oh, fuck—”

“Yes, he does have a soul,” Leon interrupted, chuckling, thankfully saving Merlin from making a bigger fool of himself. “Most of his assistants don’t last long enough to see it, though.”

Merlin frowned as he shoved his mobile and keys into his pockets. “Oh. Brilliant.”

“I don’t think that’ll be the case this time,” Leon reassured him. “I’m not sure I should tell you this, but if you’re going to be his PA, you should probably know.”

Merlin glanced around before stepping closer. He felt his hacking instincts kick in—he craved information, any information. “What is it?”

Leon paused before answering. “There’s a rumour going around. Well, not quite a rumour, since Arthur verified it when he told me. But Uther is supposedly retiring soon, and Arthur’s taking his place. The transition could be smooth, or it could be utterly disastrous, but either way, I doubt there’ll be time to look around for a new PA when it happens. If they hired you, it’s because they think you’re a safe, stable choice. Even if you’re not, he probably won’t fire you until after he’s settled into his new role.”

“Um, thanks?”

“I don’t mean to imply that you’re not well-suited for the job, of course.”

“No, I know. I mean it. Thanks. I get that you probably just took a huge risk telling me something that Arthur told you in confidence, and I appreciate it,” Merlin said. “The more information I have that lets me do my job right, the better.”

Leon smiled. “Great. Oh, and Merlin,” he called when Merlin started walking off. Merlin turned back. “In case you were wondering, Arthur usually doesn’t, er, discriminate on gender. And he usually does sleep with his PAs.”

If Merlin had blushed before, he was sure that he was positively flushed red now. He barely managed an “Oh, thanks,” before turning and heading for the lifts.

Anyone with eyes would’ve been able to see Arthur was attractive, but Merlin hadn’t really thought about his chances of getting into bed with him. Their first meeting had sparked more of a passing “Well aren’t you something?” rather than a “Wow, I want you right bloody now.” To be honest, Arthur’s personality had quickly overshadowed any lustful thoughts Merlin had for the man. But now that Merlin had the image of Arthur shagging his past assistants—hell, shagging anyone—Merlin’s attraction maybe spiked up a bit. He’d been in the lift for all of five floors before he remembered to push the button for the top.

As soon as he did, a couple people glanced from him to the illuminated “21” and back. Merlin straightened his tie, trying to tactfully move to the corner of the lift where he could attract less attention. Was he so obviously new? He hadn’t got that many stares when he’d come in the last time. Though on second thought, that had been later in the afternoon, so maybe people had already been half-dead and just not paying any mind.

Merlin was simultaneously relieved and anxious when he finally stepped out onto his floor. He took a deep breath as he squared his shoulders, and walked through the corridor to the desk in front of Arthur’s office, the desk he’d been told previously would be his come this Monday morning.

The door to Arthur’s office was closed, so Merlin plopped down at his desk, trying to get a feel for it. He was itching to log into the computer with his fancy new work credentials and poke around the network, maybe sniff a few passwords just to see if he could. But this was _Pendragon Enterprise_ , and getting caught here would be equal to the death sentence—or very nearly—so Merlin didn’t dare. Instead, he did log in, but went straight to clocking in his arrival time on the intranet (while also noticing that one Arthur Pendragon arrived at 6:47, like the hardworking, stick-up-his-arse, elitist he was) then began boredly drumming his fingers on the desk.

However, after about three endless minutes of _that_ , he figured he probably should be doing something more proactive than sitting around waiting to be told what to do. He got up and went to peek through the window on the side of Arthur’s door to see if Arthur was too busy to be interrupted. He had to scan the entire—ridiculously large—room a few times, just to make sure he wasn’t missing anything.

Arthur wasn’t in there.

_Where the hell…_

“He’s with my father.”

Merlin jumped at the sound of a curt, female voice behind him. He usually prided himself on being able to concentrate when meeting someone the first time, but this woman’s red shirt had the deepest v-neck he’d ever seen (IRL, anyway) and she had to be wearing one of those uncomfortable push-up bras, because her breasts were perked up in a way that really just wasn’t natural but was also incredibly hot. Merlin wasn’t entirely sure it was work appropriate. And either her skirt was remarkably short or her legs were remarkably long, because the amount of ivory skin on display seemed to go on for miles.

Holy mother of females.

“Um.”

She made a scoffing noise, and when Merlin raised his eyes to her face, he noticed she had her hair tied back in a high ponytail and wore glasses with frames almost as thick as the pair he’d left at home.

“Since you were clearly too busy staring at my chest to hear me the first time, I was saying my brother is down the corridor being yelled at by my father, and he probably won’t be back for another ten minutes.”

Merlin blushed for the third time in less than half an hour. He’d hoped his staring hadn’t been too obvious, but apparently no such luck.

“Okay.”

She sighed, looking at him like he was daft but there was no help for it. “You’re Arthur’s new PA, right? Or are you another one of those virginal programmers who only leave the house to come to work or visit their mum at Christmas?”

“Yes. I mean no. Wait, what?” Merlin took a deep breath. “I’m Arthur’s new PA, yeah.”

Just when Merlin had felt he’d got his courage back, she reached forward and plucked up his badge from where it hung around his neck, making him stiffen at the sudden entry into his personal space. Merlin felt himself blushing again, because the photo they’d taken of him was stupid, and because she reminded him of a vulture circling doomed prey. Also because maybe he _was_ a bit out of practice talking to people who socially intimidated him due to not leaving the house often.

“Merlin. Hmm,” she said, dropping his badge. “Well, you certainly seem to have more potential than the last one.” She suddenly raised a stern finger, pointing at his face. “My father won’t like the beard, though. Arthur won’t care, but Father has this thing about clean-shaven being more professional, whatever that means.”

Merlin rubbed his jaw absently. It wasn’t _that_ bad. Just a couple days’ worth, hardly anything to fuss over.

“The, uh, security guard wasn’t shaved,” Merlin pointed out. He was pretty sure Leon had had more facial hair than him.

She waved it away. “Security guards don’t count. They get paid to look dodgy.”

Merlin frowned. He didn’t look dodgy, did he? For fuck’s sake, it was just some hair! And it wasn’t like he even normally went around this way…

The woman’s finger was in his face again. “Another warning: Arthur likes to have coffee on his desk first thing every morning. He wakes himself up with a small cup of that instant rubbish at home, but if he doesn’t have a caramel latte with two sugars when he gets here, he’ll be intolerable the rest of the day. There’s a Starbucks just two crossroads away where you can get it. _Do not let him be intolerable the rest of the day._ ”

Merlin swallowed, leaning back as she leaned forward. “Caramel latte, two sugars, on the desk. Got it.”

She patted his shoulder, smiling sweetly. “Good boy. As long as you do as you’re told, I think you’ll do very well here, Merlin.”

She turned quickly, whipping her head around with enough force for her long ponytail to lash at Merlin’s face. A strand of her hair caught his eye and he rubbed at it as it teared up.

The tall, slim heels of the woman’s shoes _clop-clop-clopped_ as she walked down the carpeted corridor. “I’m Morgana, by the way,” she said over her shoulder.

Merlin tried to give a shaky smile and wave, while also trying to get across the message of ‘I’m not crying, I’ve just got your hair in my eye.’ It probably didn’t work because she made another scoffing noise before laughing and turning the corner.

_Bloody hell. And I thought the male version was bad._

%%%

Merlin was checking the pens at his desk—AKA doodling on a notepad—ten minutes later when he suddenly heard the first words of his new employer.

“You. Up. Come.”

Merlin froze with the pen mid-stroke, raising his head to make sure it was actually him who was being spoken to. He caught a glance of a suit walking into Arthur’s office but not actually Arthur himself. However, he was pretty sure that had been Arthur’s voice, so he pushed away from his desk and got to his feet.

“Are you deaf? What’s taking you so long!” Merlin heard from the doorway.

He quickened his steps, walking through the open door. Arthur was just taking his seat at his desk, leaning back in his high-backed leather chair.

“Sorry, I wasn’t sure if—”

“Shut up. Tell me your name again.”

Merlin fought down a wave of fury, biting his tongue to keep from telling Arthur to go fuck himself.

“Merlin.”

“What, you don’t have a surname?” Arthur said, scowling. He raised a hand. “Wait, no, never mind. You were right not to say it, I don’t care. How old are you, Merlin?”

“Nearly twenty-seven.”

Arthur scoffed, much the same way his sister did, Merlin noticed. “’Nearly twenty-seven,’” he echoed scornfully. “For Christ’s sake, just say you’re twenty-six.”

Merlin grit his teeth. “I’m twenty-six.”

Arthur nodded, swivelling slightly in his chair with his hands folded over his stomach. He seemed to have more questions, but was taking his time before asking, choosing to leisurely look Merlin up and down instead. Merlin tried not to move too much, but Arthur’s gaze on him was uncomfortable.

“Why’d you want to work for Pendragon Enterprise, Merlin?” Arthur asked. His tone was less clipped, thankfully, but the question alone was question to unsettle Merlin. “And don’t give me whatever bollocks you told my father. Give me the truth, even if it’s just for the money.”

Ha. The truth. Like that was going to happen.

Merlin compromised. “I admit I may have exaggerated my dislike of…malicious programmers—”

“Please, Merlin, spare me the euphemisms. They’re hackers, call them what they are.”

“Right. I may have exaggerated my dislike of hackers. They, er, certainly haven’t ruined my life or anything, and I don’t care much either way about them. But I wasn’t lying when I said this was a great opportunity for me. Yes, the money is good, but working at the best security company in the _world_ …That’s an honour, I think.”

 _Even if I have to work under an arrogant prat like you,_ Merlin mentally added.

Arthur stared at Merlin contemplatively again, his lips pursed thoughtfully. The room was so silent that Merlin could hear the tick of a clock.

“Are you good at maths, Merlin?”

Merlin burst into loud laughter, unable to help himself. Arthur stopped swivelling in his chair and raised an unamused eyebrow.

Merlin composed his face and cleared his throat. “Sorry, sorry. That’s um, a yes.”

“My father said you’re as skilled with computers as most of our standard staff, but I don’t want just another programmer who happens to follow my every command. Everyone else does that anyway. I want someone who’s capable of—essentially—being me. If I’m not there to catch a mistake or reprimand someone for being utterly daft, you need to be able handle the situation, not just administratively, but _intelligently_. Can you do that, _Mer_ lin?”

Merlin answered without hesitation, nodding firmly. “Yes, of course.”

“Why were you fired from your last job?”

Merlin’s heart stopped. “S-Sorry?”

“Take me through your entire employment history actually. I have a copy of your CV here if you need help.”

“I don’t need help remembering where I’ve worked!” Merlin snapped.

Arthur smiled. “Good. Start with Essetir Digital.”

Merlin shifted on his feet. There were two chairs in front of Arthur’s desk, but he hadn’t exactly been invited to sit. _Sod it_ , he thought, walking round to plop into the soft armchair. Luckily, Arthur didn’t seem upset.

Merlin cleared his throat again. “Right, so. Essetir Digital helps companies develop and design web-based software and mobile applications for their consumers—”

“I’m aware of what Essetir Digital does. Tell me what you did there and why you left.”

“I, um. Was on the mobile application side. It was mostly programming and handling the needs of each individual company as they arose. Very straightforward.”

“But?”

“But some of my—some of _our_ clients were experiencing losses and, er, attacks on their system, supposedly via the software we developed.”

Arthur frowned. “Why didn’t they contact Pendragon Enterprise about it?”

“These were small startup companies. Complete nobodies. There’s no way they could afford your protection.”

Which had been the point. Essetir Digital was—or had been—run by a filthy man named Cenred Jacobs, who’d been trying to get these “poor startup companies” on the same playing field as those like Odin, Ltd. and Caerleon Consolidated. They had been _his_ companies, organised under a false name, and once Merlin had found out, naturally he’d done all he could to shut them down. He’d been able to obtain a connection to their database using a clever snippet of code—if he did say so himself—and take them down from the inside.

Unfortunately, Merlin’s “inability to apply suitable safety measures” ended up costing him his position. Not that he cared. He’d stolen the funds that Jacobs had had stashed away in the companies’ accounts and decided that was enough of a “fuck you.”

“So they blamed you because you fucked up and provided the door for hackers to get in,” Arthur stated flatly.

“Well…Yes. Technically. It was a mistake. And I certainly learnt my lesson.”

Arthur snorted. “I’m sure you did. What about K-Space?”

Merlin groaned, then abruptly stopped, remembering where he was. He met Arthur’s gaze with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry. It’s only my boss there was a complete arse.”

“Clearly, since he fired you.”

“I nearly quit. Do you know about K-Space? Pendragon Enterprise has a contract with them so I assume you do.”

“Internet hosting. I know of them, yes. We have contracts with lots of people, and lots of teams assigned to them.”

“It’s run by a man named Joseph Kanen, but it wasn’t always. It used to be a good place to work, and I loved my job as systems admin. But once Kanen took over, the whole atmosphere changed,” Merlin explained. “And it wasn’t just in the office—it was the service as well. He proposed a raise in hosting fees at the same time as lowered storage space. It was ridiculous and I was the only one who told him so.”

“Didn’t they also suffer an attack?” Arthur asked. Merlin stopped breathing as he watched Arthur look at something on the computer in front of him.

“I don’t know,” Merlin began, rubbing the back of his neck. “That was after I left.”

“They did,” Arthur said. He pointed a finger to his screen, as if Merlin could see. “Some hacktivist that calls himself Emrys infiltrated their network and did a system reset. That’s why they came to us in the first place.”

“I…like I said, I have no idea about that. I’d been fired,” Merlin said, raising his hands to show his palms. But he had to suppress a smile. It had felt _really fucking good_ paying K-Space a secret visit and dropping his name and logo there after resetting the system to its original, fair standards.

But honestly, ‘hacktivist?’ Merlin didn’t think of himself as quite so…politically inclined. Hacktivists were mainly concerned with freedom of information and human rights, and while he was all for that, he’d also done his fair share of purely selfish acts. That was evident in the way he hacked into Kanen’s personal accounts and stole fifty thousand pounds even after he’d already dealt with the K-Space incident. He was technically all over the spectrum.

“Maybe this Emrys person works at a company that employed K-Space and wanted to send them a message or something,” Merlin suggested, shrugging. “Wish he’d done it while I was there. Then maybe I wouldn’t’ve had to leave.”

Arthur clicked his mouse, closing whatever file he’d had up on the screen and turning back to Merlin. “Maybe. Let’s get back to you. Your last job was apparently volunteer work? I’m guessing you wanted something different after dealing with Kanen.”

Merlin nodded. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a job, though. More like taking time off to do some Unix coding in between occupations. Since Unix is all open-source, I just played around a bit. I’d had some money put away from previous jobs,” Merlin added when Arthur’s eyebrows started to raise. “And…this isn’t on my CV, but I have a few apps for sale for both Apple and Android. I certainly don’t get enough revenue to live off of them alone, but it’s a decent amount.”

“Why didn’t you put that on your CV?”

Merlin shrugged again. “They’re just side projects. Nothing special.”

Arthur stared at him, but unlike the other times, this time it seemed to be a bit blank. He blinked a few times, but then shook his head and got right back to business.

“Alright, clearly you have a problem with authority—”

“I do not!”

“Merlin.”

Merlin sighed. Okay, maybe he had a problem with authority. But that was just because everyone else he’d worked for had been total tits. And as Will so helpfully pointed out, always being one for quoting the rules of the internet: The person in charge only wants to make your life miserable. No exceptions.

“I just…haven’t found a boss worth respecting yet,” Merlin mumbled.

“Well, considering you find it such an ‘honour’ to work here, I’m hoping you’ll at least respect me. And if you don’t, then you can find another job. Is that clear?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t go _in_ to a job intending to be—”

“Good. Now, here’s what you’ll be expected to do: Anyone ringing my office will have to go through you, so screen the people on the list I email you later. You’ll be in charge of scheduling all my meetings, as well as cancelling or rescheduling whenever I’m unavailable.”

Merlin was nodding so much that he felt like one of those stupid dolls. And should he be writing this down?

“If at any time I don’t have a spare suit in my office, you’re to go to my flat and pick one up—No, shut up, I’m going to give you a key later, let me finish—Anyone coming up to speak to me personally has to have been invited, so unless I tell you beforehand that someone is coming by, think of some way to politely tell them to fuck off. If one of the Financial Services guys comes up here and says I owe him an hundred quid, he’s lying. If one of the code monkeys from the fifth floor says I promised to take a look at something for him, you do it. If one of the teams working on a contract rings with a problem, you try to solve it first, and only bring it to me if it’s absolutely necessary. And I want a detailed email of the incident afterwards.”

Merlin opened his mouth to speak but Arthur held out a hand telling him to stay silent.

“And now just a few rules. One, you will learn to properly tie a tie. Two, you’ll shave every morning—and this is for your benefit, not mine—Three, you’ll be here at half seven, and no later. Four, you’ll have a caramel latte with two sugars on my desk at half seven, and no later—”

“Yes, your sister told me about that, actually. Apparently, you’re intolerable otherwise? I’m guessing you didn’t have one today.”

Arthur sprung to his feet, his palms slamming on the desk as he pinned Merlin with an icy glare. Merlin felt his blood run cold and tried to disappear into the armchair.

“And five, you will, under absolutely no circumstances, _fuck my sister._ ”

Merlin blushed. Four times in so short a span? That had to be a new record. “I…I don’t want…”

Arthur quirked an eyebrow, challenging him, because who wouldn’t want to fuck Morgana Pendragon?

“I mean, well, I do, obviously, but at the same time I don’t because she’s incredibly fucking scary. So, you know, no thanks. Eheheh.”

“Great. Now get out.”

Merlin scrambled to his feet and ran back to his desk.

As promised, the email from Arthur with the list of calls to screen came about half an hour later.

 

 **From:** a.pendragon@penterprise.co.uk  
**To:** m.ambrosius@penterprise.co.uk  
**Subject:** Rejects

The following people should by no means be allowed to reach me through the office phone:

\- Morgana Pendragon

\- Vivian Smith

\- Thomas Matthews

\- Nimueh Blake

\- Aulfric Stone

\- Catrina Macadoff

\- Fred Valiant

\- Joseph Ruadan

Anyone claiming to have these names should be told that I’m either not in, or too busy. Also, I’m hungry. Bring me something.

 

Merlin stared at his screen, not sure he was reading that last line correctly. The longer he stared, the more he realised yep, those words were actually there.

He sighed and started transcribing the names onto the notepad he’d doodled on earlier. Arthur hadn’t even said what to bring him. How the hell was he supposed to know?

%%%

**** **< Emrys>** is back from away.

**< Emrys> comes in and dies.**

**[18:34] <Null_Impact>** O.O

 **[18:34] <WILL>** first day that bad?

 **[18:35] <Emrys>** Worse.

 **[18:35] <Emrys>** My boss is a complete prat. An arrogant, sexy, infuriating, smug, snobby, entitled prat.

 **[18:35] <Null_Impact>** is it time for another war?

 **[18:35] <WILL>** did you just say sexy?

**< Emrys> sighs and pulls himself together.**

**[18:35] <Emrys>** No, no war. Just tell me about the Odin worm. I need good news.

 **[18:36] <WILL>** and then you need a wank

**** ** <Emrys> has taken halfop from <WILL>**

 **[18:36] <WILL>** t(^_^t)

 **[18:36] <Emrys>** Is Odin down yet? I just got home and haven’t checked.

 **[18:36] <Emrys>** And I think I would’ve heard something about it at work…

 **[18:37] <WILL>** ooh careful, null might be able to figure out where you live with that info

 **[18:37] <Null_Impact>** the whole clan knows you two live in england, why the fuck would i care where emrys lives

 **[18:37] <WILL>** who / _doesn’t_ / care where emrys lives? the whole bloody world is searching for him rn

 **[18:37] <Emrys>** FFS Will, the worm? Was it successful?

 **[18:38] <WILL>** yeah, their shit is wrecked, their money is mine

 **[18:38] <Emrys>** Great.

 

Merlin opened up a private chat with him, not wanting to discuss any other details with Null present. Will had a good point that someone could figure out he worked for Pendragon Enterprise, and therefore where he lived.

 

 **[18:38] <Emrys>** Hey, did you just now do it? I’m almost positive I would’ve heard something about it at work.

 **[18:39] <WILL>** sort of? i just finished up. it’s been an ongoing process throughout he day

 **[18:39] <WILL>** but hey, it’s good that the pendragons haven’t caught on yet right?

 **[18:39] <WILL>** that means either odin didn’t ring them about the security breach or it was so unimportant that ti didnt reach your level

 **[18:40] <Emrys>** Maybe. I’m still not exactly sure what the setup of the company is yet. Maybe you’re right and it was a lower floor job.

 **[18:40] <Emrys>** Still, Odin is a pretty big name. I’d think there’d be / _something_ /.

 **[18:40] <WILL>** i’m sure tomorrow you’ll go in and get an earful

 **[18:40] <WILL>** now tell me about mr sexy. i googled him to see what he looks like.

 **[18:41] <Emrys>** You Googled my boss? That’s fucking weird mate.

 **[18:41] <WILL>** it was for science. i also saw his hot sister. jfc she could eat me alive and id loveit.

 **[18:41] <WILL>** never wouldve pegged you for blonds though tbh

 **[18:41] <Emrys>** Yeah I’m ignoring this window now, back to main chat, kbye

 

Merlin shook his head, chuckling as he closed the private message window. He saw that Knight had come in while he’d been talking to Will, and that she’d hugged him for his shit day at work.

 

**< knightstalker> hugs Em.**

**[18:40] <knightstalker>** bad day, love?

 **[18:41] <Emrys>** Yeah, and going to be worse tomorrow. I have to / _be_ / there at 7.30 and today I didn’t even leave until 7.45

 **[18:41] <Emrys>** In fact I’m certain the days are going to get exponentially worse until I finally can’t take it anymore

 **[18:42] <Null_Impact>** or until the sexual frustration becomes too much and you explode, since apparently your boss is sexy

 **[18:42] <knightstalker>** *gasp* are you cheating on me baby?

 **[18:42] <Emrys>** You know I’d never.

**< Emrys> snogs Knight.**

**< WILL> gags.**

**[18:43] <knightstalker>** ♥

 **[18:43] <Emrys>** I’ll probably turn in early tonight. I barely got any sleep and I don’t think I’ll be able to handle working two days in a row like this.

 **[18:43] <Null_Impact>** they say tuesday is the most productive day.

 **[18:43] <Null_Impact>** not that i’ve been productive…it’s already tuesday where i am and all i’ve done is play bioshock.

 **[18:44] <Emrys>** Guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

 

Merlin stayed up for a few more hours, leaving his computer only long enough to use the loo or make something quick to eat. Unfortunately, he’d been right about his having to sit all day at work, so at one point he booted up his laptop—which he usually only used for hacking, but this was a _physical_ emergency, dammit—and relocated to the bed. Around ten o'clock, he said his goodbyes and went to sleep.

%%%

Merlin made sure to shave the next morning, but grumbled the whole time, thinking the whole thing was stupid and that his appearance didn’t affect his ability to get work done, so it shouldn’t even matter. He also made sure to pick himself up a cheese and marmite sarnie from Starbucks at the same time that he ordered Arthur’s caramel latte, and had a feeling that the beginning of a routine was slowly being formed.

When he walked into Arthur’s office at half seven, Arthur didn’t even look up at him, simply took the cup that Merlin sat on the desk and took a long drink like Merlin wasn’t even there.

“You forgot the two sugars,” he said, scowling as he set the cup back down. “Go back and fix it.”

Merlin sighed and reached out for it, only for Arthur to pick it back up.

“No, forget it, I have work for you. I’ll just have to suffer your complete lack of competence this morning,” he said.

Merlin dug his nails into his palms to keep from screaming. And Arthur still didn’t even look at him. What a fucking arse!

“You see the key and the mobile there? The key is to my flat, which you’re only to visit when I tell you—”

“Like I’d want to go there any other time,” Merlin muttered.

Luckily, his outburst was ignored. “And the mobile is yours, to be used only for work purposes. It’s easier to keep track of schedules and sync with the company this way, and I’ll need to be able to reach you at all times.”

“At all times?” Merlin echoed incredulously. He didn’t apply to be Arthur’s around the clock assistant.

Arthur took a slow drink of his latte, his brow furrowing at the taste he obviously found unpleasant while his right hand scrolled the mouse wheel.

“Yes, Merlin, at all times,” he said finally. “Some of the most critical breaches in security occur during the middle of the night, and though usually it’s another team that handles it, there’s been the occasional project in crisis that’s needed my help. And since you’re so clearly more qualified than the last PA, I’m counting on you to make certain that the number of such occurrences remains low.”

“Meaning I have to do it for you.”

“Precisely. Now, go to the file room—”

“File room? We actually have one of those? Why not keep everything on the computer?”

“Tell me you’re not that daft. Why the hell do you think?” Arthur snapped.

Okay, Merlin supposed it was a stupid question.

“Right, so, file room and then what?” Not that he had the slightest idea where the file room was, but it couldn’t be too hard to find. If all else failed, he’d ask someone.

“Look at every contract I’ve ever had, including the ones that are still current. You need to know all the information that I do, so study each and every one inside and out. Then schedule a meeting for one o’clock tomorrow in the conference room on the eighteenth floor and email those idiots on the Odin team to let them know. They’ll be tetchy about it not being today, but if any of them complain, just tell them I’m too busy and if it matters so much to them, then they can take it to my father.”

 _Oh good, I’ll be able to keep track of what’s going on_ , Merlin thought. _At least there’s that._

Arthur finally tore his gaze away from his computer screen to look at Merlin. “What are you still doing here? Go!”

“H-How am I meant to take calls at my desk if I’m in the file room looking up contracts?” Merlin asked.

“I don’t know, bring them up or something? That’s not my problem.”

Merlin sighed and turned to leave. He wanted to throw something at the wall. Actually, he wanted to throw something at Arthur. Repeatedly.

“Oh, and don’t bring me another dodgy sandwich like you did yesterday. I want something at least half decent.”

Merlin ground his jaw as he left, and spoke through clenched teeth. “I’ll see what I can do.”

%%%

It only took Merlin about half an hour to find the file room, and that was after pulling aside some amicable-looking bloke who seemed to know what was going on. The bloke had ended up giving Merlin the right floor, but the wrong room. In fact, he’d directed Merlin straight to the women’s toilets— _Oh, very funny, arsehole_ —but at least he’d been able to find his way to the correct location by following helpfully-placed signs.

Now, as Merlin sat covered under a pile of confidential paperwork, he wondered if there’d been any calls for Arthur. Honestly, there were hundreds of contracts filed under Arthur’s name, and Merlin didn’t see how he was supposed to thoroughly learn all of them in so short a time.

At least he finally had the answer to one of the questions that had been nagging at him earlier: Just what the hell did Arthur _do_ here? After looking at the reports of solved conflicts under contract, it seemed like Arthur mostly delegated people—or teams of people—to respond to clients. There were a few instances in the post-breach write-ups where Arthur’s actions were more hands-on, but even then it was mostly debugging someone else’s work or a suggestion of another method of tracking (usually some back-door route that others missed entirely). Did Arthur _ever_ do anything by himself?

Maybe Merlin needed to go further back. He put the strewn files back in order and pulled out the first few folders of Arthur’s employment. They were much more thick, and when Merlin opened the first one, he saw the reason why.

There were many more details here than in the ones before. Tracing methods, programs used, even snippets of code pasted in to show others what to do in future. Merlin was also surprised to note a warning notice among the files in the folder; apparently some of Arthur’s methods had been in the grey area when it came to legality, but the clients themselves hadn’t complained because it got the job done.

And Arthur’s methods…Well, Merlin had to admit they were smart. He would’ve gone for more of brute force approach himself, but he could see why Arthur would take the safe, “grey” route.

Merlin went on to the next few, and noticed that Arthur’s first notable achievement came when he tracked and took down the hacker Phant0m. Merlin remembered hearing about it online. Phant0m had been one of the people in the Third Hacker’s War, most closely engaged in cyber combat with Black Knight, and it’s what eventually led to Pendragon Enterprise being able to catch him. Merlin and his own clan of hackers had sat back and laughed, though of course Merlin had warned them at the time to be extra cautious.

It was also around that time that a lot of the competition had pulled out. The war between the Internet Druids and the Order of Knights had sparked a scare that sent a lot of hackers cowering, many of them disappearing from the digital world. Some of Merlin’s idols—Barcode, Cyber Sword, and Zer0—had been among them, until only he, Emrys, had been left standing.

The details of Phant0m’s file were sparse, though. The specifics of the tactics Arthur used were vague, and there were certainly no code snippets in this one. Maybe Arthur felt it unnecessary to go into detail since his previous records showed he was more than a little skilled at the job. Still—and maybe this was just Merlin’s hacking instincts kicking in again—it didn’t seem lazy; it seemed intentional.

 _How the hell did he do it?_ Merlin wondered. _How did he catch Phantom?_

Merlin made a mental note to ask Arthur later, and was just moving on to the next file—Black Knight, surprise surprise—when a shadow suddenly blocked the light from above.

Merlin looked up. It was a woman wearing a knee-length black skirt and a light purple blouse, the collar of which was slightly open, but thankfully not enough to make Merlin blush like he had with Morgana. She had her head tilted, her brown curls hanging like a curtain off one side of her puzzled face.

“Does this look weird?” Merlin asked, glancing at the mess of papers over his outstretched legs.

“Maybe just a bit. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see a man sitting on the floor looking up all the Arthur Pendragon files,” she remarked. Merlin couldn’t tell if her voice was amused or mocking or both. It sort of sounded like just a statement.

He looked down at the open folder over his crotch, then back up. “Sorry. Am I in your way?”

She shook her head and smiled, her lips stretching her face and changing it completely. Merlin hoped his sigh of relief wasn’t too audible. But truthfully, he was so glad there seemed to be someone here who wasn’t automatically out to get him.

“No, just unexpected, like I said.” She crouched down beside him, her knees cracking as she lowered. “Here, do you need help? What is all this for?”

Merlin shifted, tucking his legs in to sit cross-legged. “Arthur told me to study all his contracts. I’m to know each and every one of them as well as he does apparently.”

“Oh, you’re his new PA then.”

Merlin chuckled at her tone. She said it the same way someone might say ‘Oh, your dog died,’ and Merlin half expected to hear the obligatory ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

She stuck out her hand, smiling again. “I’m Gwen. If it’s any consolation, I’m Morgana’s PA, so I think I know how you feel.”

Merlin shook the offered hand, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. “I’m Merlin. And really, Morgana’s PA? How? You’re so nice.”

Gwen laughed. “Not everyone here is heartless, you know.” She waved to the scattered files. “So how long have you been at it?”

“I’m, uh…I’m not even sure. I got pulled under the tide of information and haven’t come back up for air yet. They’re really interesting, actually. Almost like an history lesson.”

“Ah, so you’re not just a PA, you’re one of _them_.”

Merlin chuckled again. “If by ‘one of them’ you mean ‘virginal programmers,’ then yes.” Merlin felt his face heat, and dammit, he’d been doing so well not blushing today. “Not that I’m a virgin. I’ve had lots of sex.”

_Oh my God, kill me now._

“Oh, that’s…good,” Gwen said, nodding in amusement. The pinched skin on either side of her mouth suggested she was holding back a much larger smile than the one currently across her face, and Merlin felt like he was in college all over again. “And it seems like you’ve already met Morgana. She’s the only one I know who calls them that.”

“Yes, she’s, um. Something.”

“That seems to be the general consensus.”

“That she’s as frightening as she is fit?”

“Yes,” Gwen said, laughing.

“Good, I thought perhaps it was just me.”

Suddenly another shadow was looming over them, and Merlin’s stomach lurched when he saw Arthur there, standing above them and not looking at all happy.

“Merlin, what the hell are you doing?” he asked.

Merlin scrambled to his feet, folders and paper scattering around him. “A-Arthur. I was just reading all your contracts like you said—”

“And _I_ said to figure out how to do it while still at your desk. The idiots from the Odin team have already sent me _another_ email asking what I plan to do to help them. Do I even want to know if you’ve scheduled that meeting yet?”

Beside Merlin, Gwen got to her feet and slipped away quietly, muttering a “talk to you later” under her breath. Merlin wished he could slip away as well.

“I…I thought maybe this took precedence?”

“It’s called multitasking, _Mer_ lin, and if you can’t do it, then learn to. Clean up those files and get back to your desk,” Arthur ordered.

“I haven’t finished—”

“Like I bloody care. I just wanted to see if you’d actually do it, or if you’d try to play me for some fool and only say you did. Now that I know you’ll do the research when I tell you, I couldn’t care less if you read the rest. Hurry up! You’ve already wasted two hours!”

Merlin sighed and bent down to get the files in order. _Why is this my life?_

%%%

Finally, later that afternoon, after dropping off a hopefully more acceptable sandwich at Arthur’s desk, Merlin found a few minutes to himself. He pulled his personal mobile from his pocket and joined the IRC, hoping Will was awake and on.

Thankfully, he was.

 

**** **< mobile_emrys>** joined #Legion

 **[13:34] <mobile_emrys>** Will, PM.

 **[13:34] <WILL>** why we’re the only two here

 **[13:34] <mobile_emrys>** Because I said so. PM.

**< WILL> sighs.**

 

When Will messaged again, it was in a private message.

 

 **[13:35] <WILL>** yeah?

 **[13:35] <mobile_emrys>** Odin alerted Pendragon. I’m in a position where I can oversee the team going after you, just reassure me one more time that you did everything right and we won’t find anything.

 **[13:35] <WILL>** i did everything right

 **[13:36] <mobile_emrys>** There’s not a single chance of a trace?

 **[13:36] <WILL>** it’s getting to the point where it’s insulting mate

 **[13:36] <WILL>** seriously, im not stupid

 **[13:37] <WILL>** if i said it’s fine, it’s fine

 

Merlin sighed in relief. It’d be easy enough to point the Odin team in random directions—at least Merlin assumed so, since Arthur consistently referred to them as idiots—but it would be even easier if Will did everything Merlin had taught him to.

 

 **[13:38] <mobile_emrys>** And the account you wired the funds to? That’s secure as well? Tell me you didn’t withdraw it already and transfer.

 **[13:38] <WILL>** don’t worry about it. I didn’t send all the money to one account, it’s spread out among three different ones.

 **[13:38] <WILL>** since obv it would be conspicuous for exactly £67,045 to show up in one account when thats the exact same amount that odin lost.

 **[13:39] <WILL>** like i said, not stupid.

 **[13:39] <mobile_emrys>** Good. Just wanted to check while I had a spare moment. Between being angry, frustrated, and intimidated, I’ve been worrying all day.

 **[13:40] <WILL>** day 2 not any better than day 1 i reckon?

 **[13:40] <mobile_emrys>** No, it’s better. I think I may have made a friend? Or at least someone that doesn’t snap at me.

 **[13:41] <WILL>** do you think you’re in there?

 **[13:41] <mobile_emrys>** Not everything is about sex, Will.

 **[13:41] <WILL>** meaning they’re fit, but not as fit as your boss, who is really the one you want a go with

 **[13:42] <mobile_emrys>** Pendragon’s soul is ugly, therefore his entire being is ugly. Full stop.

 **[13:42] <mobile_emrys>** And okay maybe she is kind of fit. But she’s nice and I feel weird just talking about her this way.

 **[13:42] <WILL>** rule 43, my friend.

 

Merlin groaned. Not another rule quote. Will seriously needed to get out this phase, or Merlin was going to kick him from Legion.

Okay, not really. Will was the only one in the group who knew Merlin IRL, so not only would it be like losing a real friend, but he’d also risk his identity being exposed. Still, the rules nonsense had to stop.

 

 **[13:43] <WILL>** the more beautiful and pure a thing is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt it.

 **[13:43] <WILL>** just saying.

 **[13:43] <mobile_emrys>** And I’m just saying if you saw this sweet innocent girl then you’d see my point.

 **[13:44] <mobile_emrys>** I’m pretty sure she’s the only person at this company who knows how to smile without turning it into a smirk

 

Merlin froze when he felt something suddenly on top of his head, and turned off his screen with a push of the button. A few seconds later, he saw Arthur standing in front of his desk with his arms crossed, but didn’t dare tilt his head further back to look up at him properly.

“Arthur,” he began warily, “what did you just put on my head?”

“Certainly not a sandwich.”

Merlin sighed. That meant it wasn’t acceptable after all then. “So because you didn’t like it, you think it’s alright to give it _this_ use?”

Arthur shrugged, looking annoyingly amused. “I figured it ought to have some use, don’t you think? It suits you, really, you should see. Shall I take a photo?”

“No.”

The amused light left Arthur’s eyes. “Bring me something else, Merlin. And stop sitting around texting like a teenage girl,” he said before walking back into his office.

Merlin mouthed a silent “go fuck yourself” after him and turned his mobile on again. He didn’t even read Will’s response, just typed in a quick farewell before leaving the IRC altogether.

“Merlin?”

Merlin looked up at the sound of his name, forgetting the sandwich on his head. It fell back onto the floor, and Merlin heard the soft _pat_ just as he recognised Gwen.

Merlin ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it free of any crumbs. “Hi.”

“Was there just a sandwich on your head?”

“Oh, um, yeah. Arthur didn’t like the lunch I brought him.”

Gwen sighed, and Merlin went rigid as she reached over the desk to brush a few crumbs off his shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the first he’s done this to.”

“It’s a habit of his to put food on his PAs’ heads?” Merlin asked, quirking a brow.

“No, I meant in general. He’s always hard on his assistants. Tests them. Wants to make sure they’re capable and worthy before he...Anyway, I think it also amuses him.”

Merlin didn’t miss the trailing off. He could fill in the rest himself.

_Before he sleeps with them._

“I noticed,” Merlin muttered.

“I’d say you’re doing rather well so far,” she continued.

“Doesn’t exactly feel like it. I still don’t know what I’m going to get him for lunch now. But, uh, did you need something?”

Gwen suddenly seemed uncertain, and looked down each corridor quickly before bringing her head closer to Merlin’s over the desk.

“Do you think I’m nice?” she asked.

Was this a trick question? “Uh…yes? I mean, from what I’ve seen so far. You offered to help me in the file room.”

“Exactly,” she said, raising a finger. “You don’t know me. Because you’re new.”

“I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“Can I trust you, Merlin?”

That piqued Merlin’s interest. “Of course. I’m the most trustworthy person ever.”

“It’s just…” She looked left and right again before coming back down. “Everyone here knows me. I’m Morgana’s nice PA. I would never do anything…for lack of a better word, I would never do anything bad.”

Merlin stifled a snort. Okay, now she sounded like a schoolgirl conspirator.

“Uh huh?” he prompted instead.

“So if I asked someone to do something a little suspect for me, it’d be all over the company. They wouldn’t be able to believe it of me.”

Merlin could see where this was going. “You want me to do something for you. Because I’ve just met you and don’t have the nice-girl expectations.”

“Exactly. You’re an opportunity. And a good guy. But also an opportunity.”

“What is it you want me to do?”

Gwen pursed her lips. “I’m not sure it’s legal. I mean, I think it is, but it doesn’t _feel_ like it is.”

Now Merlin was definitely interested. “What is it?”

Gwen took a deep breath. “There’s this guy, Lance.”

“I’ve seen him a few times, but it’s a really big company in a really big building and we work on totally different floors. I don’t exactly have an excuse to go down where all the standard programmers are.”

“Okay.”

“And you said you were good with computers too, so I was wondering if you could maybe…look into him for me?”

Merlin picked up one of his pens and pulled his notepad in front of him. “What were you looking for? Schools, criminal record, family, internet history, bank accounts—”

“Wait, really?”

“Really what?”

“You’ll do it?”

“You’ll have to do something for me, of course.”

Gwen hesitated a moment, but then nodded. “What do you want?”

Merlin hummed thoughtfully. He didn’t have to think long when Arthur suddenly shouted his name angrily, demanding lunch.

“I want _that_ to stop,” he said, pointing to Arthur’s half-open door with his pen. “There has to be something that’ll make him a decent human being.”

Gwen smiled and extended her hand. “Deal.”

Merlin shook, grinning at the turn of events, then looked back down to the notepad. “What’s Lance’s surname?”

%%%

Merlin made absolutely sure to get the two sugars in the caramel latte right the next morning. Arthur didn’t thank him, but then, he also didn’t yell or scrunch his nose in distaste, so Merlin counted it a success. He went to his desk pleased with himself, and got to work on digging up something on Lance.

He figured he’d start with the company’s intranet, since it was completely ethical to look at another employee’s work information. He saw that Lance had been working there for three years as a network operator, and usually got in a little before eight in the morning. There was also contact information, as well as the IP address of the last person to edit the profile. Which Merlin was willing to bet was Lance.

Not very much to go on, and Gwen would’ve been sure to have checked already herself, but it was enough. Merlin moved on to something a little more daring.

There wasn’t much he could do on the company computer, not with all the security measures in place. And he didn’t want to risk installing a program here over something so inconsequential. He would need something discreet.

Merlin took his out his phone and pulled up his Neahtid program. It was a simple enough password recovery tool, and since it ran on Merlin’s home server, it allowed him to remain untraceable. He started up the program and began sniffing the network for Lance’s IP address.

There were a lot of addresses. Possibly thousands. Merlin wouldn’t scroll through all of them—he could just search Lance’s IP specifically—but he wanted to make sure as many as possible loaded first. He waited a few minutes, then searched the number.

Merlin grinned. Lance had just logged into a website called thesixtyone.com, for which Merlin could now see his username and password.

“There you are.”

%%%

Merlin was so caught up learning things about Lance and writing them on his notepad for Gwen that he lost track of time. Luckily, when Arthur’s door slammed open and he stormed out, Merlin had enough time to slip his mobile into his pocket and bring up something that looked remotely work-related on his computer.

“Merlin,” Arthur growled. “What time did you schedule the Odin team meeting for?”

Fuck. “Uh, I don’t—”

“If you say you don’t know, I might throw something at you.”

Merlin tried to remember, but there were so many numbers already in his head, new information that he’d put in, and well, some of the less important stuff had got shoved out. “I think it had a one in it?” he ventured.

Arthur’s jaw clenched, and Merlin thought he saw a vein in his neck bulge. “It was _supposed_ to have a one and a three. You know what you made it instead? A one and a zero.”

“Oh.” Merlin looked at time on his computer. It was just past half ten already. “Shit.”

“Yes, Merlin. Shit. Which is what you are at your job.” He sighed in exasperation and started walking down the corridor. “Get up, we have a meeting to go to.”

Arthur took the stairs down to the eighteenth floor, and Merlin was forced to follow. He tried to keep his head down as Arthur marched through the corridor to the conference room, but he could feel the eyes of everyone they passed regardless. He had a feeling he looked like a wounded puppy trying to keep up with its owner.

Arthur launched right into it when they entered the room, and Merlin softly closed the door behind them before slinking back into the corner.

“Bedivere, tell me the intent,” Arthur demanded as he sat at the head of the table. A man on his left slid him a folder with what Merlin assumed was the Odin contract.

Bedivere opened and closed his mouth, lost. “The, uh, the intent?”

“Owain, tell me the intent.”

Owain was much more prepared. “We don’t have evidence of this being political or for personal revenge, so we’re assuming they picked a large company at random to steal funds from for personal use. There was also a worm, which deleted a large portion of their files.”

Arthur had his chin in his hand as he skimmed the file in front of him. “So they used a worm with a payload to cover the fact that they were transferring money. Sixty-seven thousand pounds.”

“Yes.”

“Or they thought, ‘hey, while I’m leaving this shit storm, might as well rip off this rich sod.’”

“Uh, yes.”

Merlin snickered. It had actually been the other way round. The original plan had just been to steal half a thousand pounds from the corrupt bastard, but then Will thought to add the worm for laughs.

Arthur flipped through the file. “And the means of entry?”

Owain didn’t reply, seeming not to have a response. Instead, he looked around the table anxiously, urging one of the others to speak.

Arthur sighed and stabbed a finger at what must have been the answer. “Well, _one_ of you wrote that they cracked one of the ports. How did you not trace the connection?”

Merlin shifted his weight from one foot to the other, waiting for the answer just as eagerly.

The man who Arthur addressed as Bedivere apparently set out to redeem himself. “They likely had an advanced firewall, and we think they bounced through at least three hosts before attempting to crack the Odin server.”

“What makes you say three?”

“Er, because if it were any less we wouldn’t’ve had difficulty tracing the connection?”

“And do you have any idea which three hosts were used?”

“Uh…”

“That’s what we need you for,” one the men who hadn’t spoken yet said. “We’re not sure where to go from here.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow and Merlin was glad not to be in their shoes at the moment. But then, he wasn’t quite as incompetent as to not know what to do. They really were idiots.

Arthur sighed, pushing back from the table to stand. He turned and walked to the white-board behind him.

“Alright. Let me explain it in the simplest terms possible then,” he said, picking up a blue marker.

He drew a big O on the right side, and three X’s scattered in the empty space to the left of it. At the top left corner, he drew a star.

“Let’s say the star is the hacker’s local host, and the O is Odin’s network. The X’s are the three servers used to stall the trace. With me so far?”

Merlin saw the back of multiple heads nod. They looked ridiculous.

Arthur must’ve thought so too, because a corner of his lips turned up; Merlin could tell all the way from across the room.

He turned back to the board a drew a dotted line from the star through each X until he got to the O. “In order to bounce through these hosts, he—assuming they’re a male—would’ve needed access to connect to them first, either through an unprotected or protected port. Okay?”

There were several more nods.

“There’s two kinds of hackers, really—stupid and not stupid,” he continued. Merlin couldn’t help snickering again.

“Shut up, Merlin.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. Arthur hadn’t even bothered to turn around. How could he tell it was him?

“Getting into a protected port would leave more of a trail for a trace, so he probably had access to three unprotected servers. He’s not the stupid sort; he couldn’t be if he thought he was smart enough to attack someone under contract with us. So after he has the access he needs from each server, he bounces through them—” Arthur tapped each X with the end of the marker. “—before cracking one of the protected ports on Odin’s network. Okay?”

More nods.

“So if you can’t trace him, what do you do?”

They seemed to think it was a rhetorical question at first, that Arthur would answer it for them. When he didn’t, the silence dragged on. Merlin shifted his weight to the other foot.

Arthur sighed and raised the marker, holding it horizontally and following the dotted line from the O back across the board through each X.

“Uh, follow the trail?” Owain guessed.

“Close enough. What did he do to each host?” Arthur asked.

There was silence a few more seconds, but then Bedivere said, “Oh! He connected.”

Arthur nodded, eyebrows raised like Bedivere was slow. “Exactly. And what happens when you connect to a server?”

“It…connects you to the server?” another of them said.

Arthur slapped a hand to his forehead. Merlin bit his cheeks to keep from laughing again.

“It gets logged, doesn’t it?” Arthur exclaimed, throwing a hand up. “There’s a connection log on each server!”

“Oh.”

“So now what do you do?” Arthur nudged.

“Get the connection logs from each server.”

“How?”

“By connecting to them and reading the contents of the log file.”

“And how do you find out which servers he used to bounce through?”

Nobody seemed to have an answer for that. Merlin sure hoped Arthur didn’t.

Arthur capped the pen and crossed his arms. “Merlin? Any ideas from your corner?”

The whole room turned and stared at him. Well fuck.

“Uh, the thing is…”

Arthur quirked a brow. “The thing is?”

“I don’t really think it matters whether or not you find out which servers he used.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because if it was me, I would’ve deleted the connection logs, or at least cleared them. So there’s probably not a trace anyway. Since you said he’s not the stupid sort.”

“So you don’t think it’s worth checking to see if there’re any recurring hostnames.”

“I don’t, and I’ll tell you why.”

“Please do.”

“Alright, well, firstly, if you did check, how much time would that take you? And secondly, the only way to get the connection logs would be to hack into the servers yourself, which, unlike this bloke, we can’t do because of ethical boundaries.”

“We could contact the network administrators and request them.”

“Yes, but then you’re still left with having to trace the hostnames, and how many people have connected to the server since the time of the attack, do you think? It would take ages. It’d be pointless.”

Arthur furrowed his brow. “You’re saying we let him get away with it.”

Merlin swallowed, feeling every pair of eyes on him acutely. “I’m saying…Okay, I’m not an economical genius, but the way I see it, you’re using more time and money trying to catch him than what he stole in the first place. I’m saying the best move from here would be to strengthen Odin’s security measures so it doesn’t happen again.”

“And just let this guy go so he can keep doing it to other companies? Odin lost money _and_ essential data. He’s not going to like us turning the other cheek.”

Merlin shrugged. “Pendragon Enterprise’s protection is top notch, right? If this hacker got in, it’s because someone at Odin fucked up. If we give them the tools and they don’t use them properly, I say that’s not our problem. We can’t do anything to get their money or data back. We can try to catch the hacker responsible, but then we lose money ourselves. What we can and should do, is educate those Odin idiots on how to properly use the security system we provide.”

“All valid points, but—”

“Look, either way, those connection logs are gone! You’re not gonna catch him!”

The silence was deafening for a few seconds, and Merlin’s exclamation seemed to echo in the small conference room. Eventually, all heads turned back to face Arthur, though Merlin didn’t feel like he could breathe any easier.

“I agree,” Arthur said.

Merlin blinked. “You do?”

“Yes. But we risk losing a client if we don’t at least attempt. We may lose money ourselves, but they’re paying us for a service. Even if it _was_ someone on their end who ‘fucked up,’ as you so eloquently put it.”

Merlin could already see where Arthur was going with it. It was what he would do if he were in the situation.

“So we pretend to make an attempt to satisfy an ignorant client,” Merlin said. “And then after we can’t find anything, we tell them how to prevent it from happening again.”

Arthur leaned against the white-board and smirked. “You and I don’t do anything. Odin is _their_ contract,” he finished, jerking his chin at the group.

Merlin couldn’t tell which one, but he heard one of them groan.

%%%

After getting his own lunch—Merlin was perfectly fine with one of the sandwiches from the cafe down the street—Merlin emailed Gwen.

 

 **From:** m.ambrosius@penterprise.co.uk  
**To:** g.smith@penterprise.co.uk  
**Subject:** The way to a man’s heart…assuming he has one

He seemed to like the soup. I think we lucked out this time. I suggest something heartier in future.

 

 **From:** g.smith@penterprise.co.uk  
**To:** m.ambrosius@penterprise.co.uk  
**Subject:** Re: The way to a man’s heart…assuming he has one

I’ll be expecting heartier information.

(Please do me the favour of pretending that doesn’t sound stupid.)

 

 **From:** m.ambrosius@penterprise.co.uk  
**To:** g.smith@penterprise.co.uk  
**Subject:** Re: Re: The way to a man’s heart…assuming he has one

Of course.

(Of course.)

 

The phone rang just as Merlin sent it, and Merlin sighed. He hadn’t even taken five bites of his sandwich.

“Hello, you’ve reached the office of Arthur Pendragon, may I ask who’s calling?”

“Oh, joy, he’s got a male PA now,” the woman on the other end said. Merlin frowned, hating her already. “This is Vivian, I need to speak to Arthur immediately.”

Vivian, Vivian…Merlin couldn’t remember if that name had been on the list or not. He searched his desk for where he’d written it down but it seemed to have got lost.

“Uh…”

“Well?” she demanded.

“Sorry, uh, may I ask what you’re calling about?”

Vivian sighed. “His mother’s just died, alright? Will you please let me speak to him?”

Merlin gaped. Of course something like this would happen on his third day. “What?”

“I said his mother’s just died. Put me through, you idiot.”

“Okay…”

Merlin put her through, already dreading the increased workload sure to follow their conversation. He wasn’t sure if Arthur’s workaholic tendencies extended so far, but if Arthur took time off to grieve, it would mean hell for Merlin having to do Arthur’s job. On the third day!

But of course the actual mother-dying part was terrible, too. Not even Arthur deserved that, left with only Uther as his remaining parent. Merlin shuddered at the thought.

Merlin was nearly done his sandwich when Arthur shouted his name. Merlin cringed. He’d been doing so well with the not-shouting.

Merlin took a deep breath, preparing himself for a possibly sad, possibly overcome with disbelief and angry version of Arthur. He hadn’t been put in a social situation like this since…well, since ever. Most of his social interactions occurred online.

“Yes?” he said, peeking his head through the door. At least Arthur didn’t look sad. Though Merlin wasn’t sure his current level of anger was much better.

“Why the hell did you let Vivian reach me?”

“Uh...”

“Uh, are you stupid? I said to never let her contact me! She’s fucking psycho!”

“But she said your mother died.”

Arthur’s hands balled into fists, shaking as though he wanted to strangle Merlin. Merlin took a cautious step back just in case Arthur decided to start charging, which didn’t look too unlikely.

When he spoke, it was through clenched teeth. “Merlin, my mother has _been_ dead. Why d’you think my father’s such an arse?”

“Uh…”

That seemed to make Arthur explode. “If you say ‘uh’ one more time, I’m going to bash in that stupid pretty face of yours!”

“Did you just call my face pretty?”

“GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!”

Merlin shut the door hard enough for it to slam, and stood there a few seconds feeling like he’d just been through a storm. He jumped at the sound of another voice beside him, not having seen them walk up.

“Why was my son yelling?”

Of course, _of course_ Uther Pendragon had to come out of his office—which Merlin had managed to forget was just down the corridor, and therefore within hearing range—at that moment. Merlin’s life really couldn’t get any worse.

“Someone rang and said his mother died but apparently that was just a lie to get me to put them through because his mother died a while ago and now he’s angry.”

Uther’s brows pushed together, deep lines forming in his forehead as his mouth thinned into a straight line, and Merlin’s stomach twisted when he realised what he’d just said and to whom. But it was out now, and there was no glossing over it, not with Uther.

“I see,” he said tightly. “In that case, I’d say he’s justified.” He said no more, only turned and walked back to his office.

Merlin exhaled and returned to his desk. He’d do better tomorrow, for sure.

%%%

**** **< Emrys>** is back from away.

 **[18:41] <Null_Impact> **Spankm3_ple4se. can you believe that? his fucking password was ‘spank me please’

 **[18:41] <Null_Impact>** it’s always the quiet ones, i tell ya

 **[18:41] <knightstalker> **wow

**< knightstalker> kisses Em.**

**[18:42] <knightstalker>** wb love

 **[18:42] <Emrys> **Hi.

 **[18:42] <Emrys>** I hate my life.

 **[18:42] <Emrys>** So, you know.

 **[18:42] <Emrys>** There’s that.

 **[18:43] <Null_Impact>** there there

 **[18:43] <Null_Impact>** chin up buddy

 **[18:43] <Null_Impact>** whatever it is people say

 **[18:43] <Emrys>** Thanks.

 **[18:44] <Emrys>** Any of you heard from Will?

 **[18:44] <morderator>** Think he’s sleeping.

 

At nearly seven? Merlin found that hard to believe, but then he didn’t know any of their sleeping schedules. It seemed to vary, though usually Will was rather consistent.

 

 **[18:44] <knightstalker>** this about the odin worm?

 **[18:44] <Emrys>** How’d you know?

 **[18:45] <knightstalker>** i’m your op

 **[18:45] <knightstalker>** i know E V E R Y T H I N G ~ ~

 **[18:45] <Null_Impact>** will was bragging

 **[18:45] <knightstalker>** stfu null

 **[18:46] <Emrys>** Well he’s in the clear as far as tracing goes. I have it on good authority.

 **[18:46] <knightstalker>** ooh, good authority, how top secret of you

 **[18:46] <morderator>** Odin is covered by Pendragon Enterprise.

 **[18:46] <morderator>** That means it’s srs bsns.

 **[18:47] <Emrys>** Exactly.

 **[18:47] <Emrys>** I had to double check. And then I had to triple check.

 **[18:47] <knightstalker>** care to share on whose authority you have it?

**< knightstalker> uses bat eyelashes. It’s super effective!**

**< Emrys> uses dodge!**

**[18:48] <Emrys> **You have your secret sources and I have mine :)

 **[18:48] <knightstalker>** :(

 **[18:48] <Null_Impact>** mate we’re a clan, we’re supposed to pool our sources, irght?

 **[18:48] <Emrys>** There’s pooling your sources and there’s giving things away for free.

 **[18:49] <Emrys>** And if you lot had access to this source I shudder to think what would happen to the world.

 **[18:49] <Emrys> **Almost certainly it would implode.

 **[18:50] <Null_Impact>** damn

 **[18:50] <Null_Impact>** now that is srs bsns

 **[18:50] <Emrys> **Quite.

 **[18:50] <Emrys>** I do this because I care.

**< Emrys> touches heart solemnly.**

**** **< WILL>** joined #Legion

 **[18:51] <WILL> **morning

 **[18:51] <Emrys>** Wiiiiiiiiiiiiill

 **[18:51] <Emrys>** PM.

 **[18:51] <Emrys>** Actually I have to pee. And let me take my contacts out. But then PM.

 

Merlin nearly tripped trying to get to the bathroom—and he hadn’t even been walking particularly fast, which was just sad—but he got there, and after relieving himself, he put his contacts back in the contact solution. He picked up his glasses from his nightstand before returning to his computer.

Will had already messaged him privately in another window.

 

 **[18:52] <WILL>** yeah?

 **[18:55] <Emrys>** Pendragon’s going to make an attempt at tracing you, but nothing serious. I told them the hacker was probably smart enough to delete the connection logs for each bounced host.

 **[18:55] <Emrys>** Which he was, right?

 **[18:56] <WILL>** yes

 **[18:56] <Emrys>** Cool

 **[18:57] <Emrys>** It was hilarious, the team that has Odin’s contract is full of complete dolts. They didn’t even know what to do until Arthur broke it down for them.

 **[18:57] <Emrys>** Rather inspirational actually.

 **[18:57] <WILL>** wow how can you even see with those hearts in your eyes

 **[18:57] <Emrys>** Ha. If you knew the day I’ve had, you’d know there’s no hearts.

 **[18:58] <Emrys>** Daggers, more like.

 **[18:58] <WILL> **uh huh.

 **[18:58] <WILL>** well thanks for the tip. brilliant that we’ve got you working there.

 **[18:59] <Emrys> **No problem.

 

Back in the main chat, the others had moved on to food, and Merlin suddenly realised how hungry he was.

 

 **[18:59] <Null_Impact>** nearly time for breakfast here

 **[18:59] <morderator>** I had pasta. It was alright I guess.

 **[18:59] <knightstalker>** ramen isnt pasta mord

 **[19:00] <morderator>** Oh. Then what did I have?

 **[19:00] <Null_Impact>** a disappointment

 **[19:00] <WILL>** sodium chloride

 **[19:00] <knightstalker>** death in a bowl

 **[19:00] <morderator>** None of that sounds very healthy :/

 **[19:00] <Emrys> **Sounds about like what I’m going to have shortly.

 **[19:01] <WILL>** what no mate we should celebrate my recent bonus

 **[19:01] <Emrys>** Sure. What shall it be tonight then?

 **[19:01] <Null_Impact>** omg are you guys gonna buy each other takeaway again

 **[19:01] <knightstalker>** awww

 **[19:01] <morderator> **That’s fucking adorable.

 **[19:01] <Emrys> **Shut up.

 **[19:01] <WILL>** shut up

 **[19:01] <WILL>** surprise me

 **[19:02] <Null_Impact>** wow did they just do that

 **[19:02] <Emrys>** Alright.

 **[19:02] <knightstalker>** lmao

 **[19:02] <Emrys>** Just curry for me. The one you got me last time wasn’t bad actually.

 **[19:02] <WILL>** and you were afraid to try it. this is why you should trust my tongue

 **[19:02] <Emrys>** Let’s never use that phrase again.

 **[19:02] <knightstalker>** all in favour of not trusting will’s tongue say aye

 **[19:03] <knightstalker>** aye

 **[19:03] <Null_Impact>** aye

 **[19:03] <morderator>** Aye.

 **[19:03] <WILL>** fuck all of you

 **[19:03] <WILL>** whatever you’re getting me, get me a lot. i need that shit to last a few days.

 **[19:03] <Emrys>** Alright. So long as you do the same.

 **[19:04] <knightstalker>** he expects 67k worth of curry.

**< Emrys> nods.**

**[19:04] <Emrys>** No more, no less.

 **[19:04] <WILL>** omg could you even imagine all that curry though

 **[19:04] <Null_Impact>** lol will is what i wanna be when i grow up

 **[19:04] <morderator>** …

 **[19:05] <Emrys> **Oh god no. You don’t want to be like this loser. I’ve seen his flat.

 **[19:05] <WILL>** you’re one to talk!

 **[19:05] <WILL>** ok actually your flat isnt that bad

 **[19:05] <WILL>** BUT YOUR ROOM

 **[19:05] <WILL>** that is just as bad as mine

 **[19:06] <Emrys>** Nothing is growing in my room.

 **[19:06] <knightstalker>** ew will

 **[19:06] <WILL>** there’s nothing growing in my room!

 **[19:06] <Null_Impact>** will wtf

 **[19:06] <Emrys>** There’s questionable fungi on the ceiling.

 **[19:06] <morderator>** …

 **[19:07] <Null_Impact>** that’s fucking disgraceful

 **[19:07] <WILL>** that’s not my fault that’s the twats above me!

 **[19:07] <WILL> **you are this close to getting no curry sir

 **[19:07] <Emrys>** Not the curry!

 **[19:07] <Emrys>** No really, I’m hungry, please hurry up and get that.

 **[19:08] <knightstalker>** you heard my Em, chop chop!

 **[19:08] <WILL>** down girl

**< knightstalker> claws Will.**

**[19:08] <WILL>** D:

 **[19:08] <Emrys>** Good Knight.

**< Emrys> pets.**

**< knightstalker> purrs.**

**[19:08] <WILL>** one of these days i too will be an evil mastermind with a hot demonspawn minion

 **[19:09] <WILL>** and then you’ll pay

 **[19:09] <WILL>** YOU’LL ALL PAY

**< WILL> runs away to buy curry**

**[19:09] <Null_Impact>** was that what i think it was

 **[19:09] <morderator> **I believe that was an Austin Powers reference.

 **[19:09] <Emrys> **I’ve never been more disappointed in my life.

 **[19:10] <Null_Impact>** not even when you went to pee and saw your tiny cock?

 **[19:10] <Emrys>** Knight.

**< knightstalker> claws Null.**

**[19:10] <morderator>** Lol

 **[19:10] <Emrys> **Good Knight.

**< Emrys> pets Knight on the way out to buy…something.**

%%%

Merlin’s fourth day went the best out of all of them. There was a definite routine forming: cheese and marmite sarnie for himself and a caramel latte with two sugars for Arthur in the morning, exchange of information for food with Gwen in the afternoon, and doing everything Arthur said in between. By Merlin’s second Monday, he was certain he’d got the hang of things.

“Rice with steamed vegetables,” Gwen announced, holding up the glass container. “And a Coke.”

Merlin took both items with a pleased smile. “His best friend seems to be one of the security guards named Percival. They’ve got together to play football loads of times in the past year.”

As more days passed and Merlin settled into things—mis-scheduling meetings only once every couple weeks, and forgetting a name on the screened calls list only occasionally—Arthur started looking at him with less and less scorn. Merlin got to know Arthur’s moods as well as he did his own, could predict what Arthur would ask before he asked it and made sure to get it done.

“Potato leek soup,” Gwen said when Merlin had been there two months. “The potato makes it hearty, the leek makes it healthy.”

Merlin laughed. “He’s going to get fat at this rate.”

Gwen held up the bottle of water in her other hand meaningfully.

“Oh, right. Lance is thinking about a getting a dog, or at least it looks that way based on the research he’s doing. Seriously Gwen, just ask him out already.”

“I need to be at the right place at the right time. One of these days.”

“If you say so. Glad to be of assistance until then.”

Merlin also acquired a wealth of knowledge about some of the largest company networks in the world. He felt like a kid at a playground—there were so many possibilities to choose from, so many doors now open that he could just walk through should he so decide.

In the end, he decided on coding a worm (named EmWorm), but unlike Will’s Odin worm, this didn’t have a payload. He would upload it disguised as a work document to each of his chosen servers, and begin the wait. Someone at the target company would download it, and it would make its way to each computer on the network, not doing anything until Merlin activated it himself.

He’d have hundreds, _thousands_ , of zombie computers at his command. A botnet army. Just in case.

And over time, Arthur seemed to have started paying attention to him. More than usual.

One morning when Merlin was setting his caramel latte down, Arthur said, “Did you get a haircut?”

Merlin reached up and rubbed the back of his freshly clipped head instinctively. “Er, yeah. Was getting a bit long.”

Arthur made a noise that sounded like a grunt as he raised the latte to his lips and mumbled, “Looks better.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

Merlin could hardly believe Arthur had just complimented him.

He probably should’ve realised Arthur would catch on about the food eventually, and Arthur’s new streak of paying attention resulted in just that the same day.

Gwen set a bowl of pasta down on the ledge of Merlin’s desk with a grin. “Linguine in marinara sauce,” she declared.

Merlin consulted his notepad and looked back up at her. “His mother’s birthday is tomorrow. He’s taking her out to dinner.”

“Oh my God, that’s so sweet.”

“No drink today?”

“Nah.”

“Getting a bit sloppy, aren’t you?” Merlin teased.

“See you tomorrow, Merlin,” she sang, waving over her shoulder.

When she was gone, Merlin stood and picked up the bowl just as Arthur’s door opened. Arthur looked at Merlin, a brow raised in question.

Merlin opened his mouth and almost began with “uh,” but bit his tongue. He’d been doing well not saying it and didn’t want to ruin his streak.

“Yes?” he said instead. “I’ve got your lunch.” He held it out, fork balanced on the lid.

“That’s where you get it from every day? By flirting with Morgana’s assistant?”

Merlin laughed. “I am not flirting with Gwen. Do you want this or not?”

Arthur grumbled but nodded and turned to go back in his office. Merlin followed, knowing he was meant to set it on the desk like he did every day.

“Surely she doesn’t just give it to you,” Arthur insisted when he’d sat down.

“Gwen and I have a deal of sorts,” Merlin said, peeling the lid off and setting it upside down beside the bowl.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “What sort of deal?”

Merlin shrugged. “I give her what she wants and she gives me food.”

“Which you then give to me.”

“Well how else am I going to please you?”

Arthur froze with the fork poised above the bowl and Merlin felt himself blush.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it._

“Right, well, if that’s all?” Merlin said, eager to leave.

“Yes, this is fine, Merlin, thank you.”

Merlin went back to his desk and sank into his chair with a sigh. So maybe he’d got the hang of things finally, but he was still putting his foot in his mouth occasionally. Probably some subconscious part of him was still waiting for Arthur to try something with him, since apparently that was his reputation. He couldn’t imagine _how_ , considering Arthur didn’t seem the least bit sexual. Merlin sometimes thought Arthur lived and breathed Pendragon Enterprise.

But then came a day about a week later, when Merlin was about to leave for the evening and looked into Arthur’s office one last time as he usually did. Arthur had his head in his hands, elbows on the desk, fingers displacing his fringe. He looked defeated and tired. He looked…young, if Merlin was going to be honest.

Merlin paused, halfway into his jacket. He knew Arthur was under a lot of stress. Merlin had been hired to reduce the stress, for fuck’s sake, to help Arthur manage his schedule.

But he’d forgot the most important point of all—Uther was retiring soon. Merlin didn’t know how soon, but the knowledge had to be weighing on Arthur with each passing day. Arthur wasn’t much older than him, after all. That was certainly young to be running the world’s best computer security company.

Arthur didn’t look like he wanted to take over the company in that moment. He looked like he was dreading it, but knew it was inevitable.

Merlin finished sliding his arms into his jacket and made himself enter Arthur’s office one last time.

“Arthur?”

Arthur’s hands slid to the side of his face, and he put his chin in the palms, blinking at Merlin blearily. “Yes, Merlin?”

“Is there anything else you need before I leave?”

Arthur’s eyes closed and he sighed. “It can wait until tomorrow. I don’t want to trouble you with it today.”

That was different. Arthur didn’t want to trouble Merlin for once?

And yet Merlin was going to proceed anyway.

“What is it?”

“Just…one of our biggest clients. Also has a fair amount of stock in the company. They’ve been attacked with a virus. It’s not good for us, or them, for anyone really. Thousands of people’s lives changed because of this thing, and it’s just…” Arthur groaned and his head fell forward onto his desk with a dull thud.

Merlin stared a few seconds, wondering if Arthur would raise his head again. When he didn’t, Merlin said, “Ah, yes. The head desk. That emotion I am familiar with.”

Arthur snorted, and he didn’t raise his head, but he did lift it so that his chin rested on the desk, his eyes looking up at Merlin from below his eyelashes. Merlin couldn’t believe how young he looked and kind of wanted to take a photo so he could have the moment forever.

“Are you going to stay the whole night?” Merlin asked.

“I looked at the client’s file,” Arthur mumbled. “It’s untraceable, like the Odin one. There’s nothing I can do here tonight. No point staying.”

“If you can’t do anything, maybe you should go home, take your mind off it.”

Arthur stared at Merlin unblinkingly, and Merlin felt himself start to sweat, because that wasn’t just any look, that was a _considering_ look. Merlin had a good idea of what Arthur’s next words would be.

“Yeah. Want to help me?”

He knew what Arthur meant. Arthur knew that he knew what he meant. But he asked anyway, to be sure.

“With what?”

“Taking my mind off it.”

Merlin waited until the butterflies in his stomach decided to calm down before answering. “Okay.”

%%%

In the nearly three months that Merlin had worked for Arthur, he’d not once had reason to use his key to Arthur’s flat. He knew where the building was—not too far from his own flat, actually—and he knew the inside had to be insanely posh, but he’d never really got a look at it.

He didn’t get much of a look that night either, not with Arthur’s mouth on his the entire way through to the bedroom. Arthur was a fucking brilliant kisser—as to be expected—and his hands were surprisingly coordinated, pulling Merlin’s shirt from where it was tucked into his trousers and running warm fingertips up the skin of Merlin’s stomach. The only thing taking up all of Merlin’s senses was Arthur, so of course he had no idea how they ended up in the bedroom.

He pushed his hips forward when Arthur pulled off his tie and started undoing the buttons of his shirt, searching for some relief in the form of rubbing his cock against Arthur’s. Merlin panted as he did it, swivelled his hips in circles while Arthur’s fingers snapped button after button, exposing his chest.

Arthur moaned when Merlin’s shirt was finally open, and slid his hands around Merlin’s waist, pulling him close. “Christ, I want you so fucking bad,” he breathed, latching his mouth onto Merlin’s neck.

It was the first thing he’d said practically since they’d left the office, and it went straight to Merlin’s cock. Merlin took a step back and started attacking his belt, sliding it through the loops before letting it drop to the floor.

Arthur was in a hurry again as well, toeing off his shoes and tugging angrily at his tie to get it off. Merlin was nearly undressed and about to pull his shirt off when Arthur threw a packet of lube at him. He just barely caught it between his hands.

Clearly Arthur meant to go fast; he hadn’t even taken his own shirt off, just pushed his trousers and pants down and kicked them across the floor before undoing the buttons of his shirt as he got a condom. So Merlin tried to act as quickly as Arthur was, hastily squeezing lube onto his fingers and bending over the bed, working it in while Arthur kissed him and slid the condom over his cock.

Merlin had just pushed a finger in, twisting and pulling at the rim of his entrance, when Arthur tugged on his sleeve and pulled him impatiently onto the bed. Merlin had no choice but to raise his knees and shuffle forward, straddling Arthur’s thighs. Merlin’s arse was slick enough anyway, and he didn’t think Arthur would rush the initial entry, no matter how fast he wanted to go.

Merlin clutched Arthur’s shoulders as he sank down, Arthur’s shirt bunching up in his hands. Merlin couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had sex—uni, probably—and Arthur wasn’t exactly small, so he took large, unsteady breaths as Arthur’s cock slid deeper, stretching him ever so slowly. He was dimly aware of one of Arthur’s hands rubbing up and down his back, as though trying to soothe him, but he could also feel Arthur’s own laboured breathing, where hot breath danced across his chest, so he knew Arthur had to be having a hell of a time letting Merlin go at his own pace.

Finally, Merlin was there, Arthur’s cock lodged as deep as Merlin could get it, and he bit his lip, moaning as he rolled his hips forward and got used to the sensation. He only noticed he was trembling when his fingers started to go numb from gripping Arthur’s shirt so tightly, and loosened them as he took a deep breath.

Arthur compensated the lack of movement for closeness, pulling Merlin in with a hand on the small of Merlin’s back and making Merlin’s cock press against his stomach. He put his mouth to Merlin’s neck again and Merlin leaned into it as he closed his eyes and let Arthur devour him. It wouldn’t be long now, he just needed a few more seconds, just a moment to let the burn of the stretch recede into something bearable.

He could tell Arthur was impatient when Arthur’s hand fisted the fabric of Merlin’s shirt in his hand, like an insistent reminder. Merlin took another deep breath and gave in, not lifting himself too much, but enough to ease his way off before taking Arthur back in. He used a hand to tilt Arthur’s head back and kiss him to distraction, to make up for the slow tempo he was setting.

Merlin wasn’t sure if Arthur would be the sort to kiss during sex, if it would somehow be too personal. But he seemed to like it just as much as before, using his tongue in the same talented way and driving Merlin mad with its motions. It seemed no time had passed at all before Merlin was moaning and taking Arthur’s cock in earnest, hands holding Arthur’s arms as he picked up speed.

The need for air made Merlin pull away, but Arthur didn’t seem too upset. In fact it was almost weird; they made eye contact for the first time then, and Merlin saw Arthur looking up at him, first at his kiss swollen lips, over his nose and up to his eyes. He saw desire like he’d never seen before in Arthur’s gaze, and it fuelled the fire in his groin at the same time it brought back the butterflies in his stomach.

He gasped when he suddenly felt Arthur’s hand between them, strong fingers curling around his cock. His arse clenched instinctively, and he had a feeling that’s what Arthur wanted, for Merlin to feel the same urge to finish as fast as possible that he no doubt did.

Arthur seemed to always get what he wanted, and now was no exception. Merlin was close; he fucked down onto Arthur’s cock and up into Arthur’s hand, and whined at how wonderfully brilliant both sensations were. He knew Arthur was there teetering on the edge with him, because Arthur’s eyebrows were pushed together at a slant, his expression so wrecked that it alone made Merlin’s balls draw up a little tighter.

It was good that Merlin was nearly there anyway. His legs had started to ache from the angle, because they weren’t exactly supposed to bend that way for long. He’d ignored it for the most part, because Arthur’s cock felt too good, slid inside him so perfectly deep and filled him up enough that a bit of discomfort in the legs didn’t matter. But it was bordering on painful now, so he gave himself one last push, took Arthur’s cock in short, quick, stilted thrusts that had him gasping for breath harder than ever.

“Arthur, fuck, gonna come, gonna—”

He came with his hands clutching Arthur’s collar, and felt Arthur jerk his hips up for the first time as he throbbed in Arthur’s firm hand. He knew Arthur had finished as well when Arthur stopped thrusting and exhaled a breathy “Fuck.”

Merlin stayed unmoving a few seconds, catching his breath along with Arthur, but then he lifted up a final time, letting Arthur’s cock slip free. He’d forgot what it was like to be left gaping and empty, how it felt simultaneously satisfying and hollow.

“I, um.” Merlin tried not to crawl backward awkwardly, but wasn’t surely if he quite managed it. “I guess I’ll go now. Glad I could, er, help you take your mind off things.”

He turned around as soon as he was off the bed, not wanting the awkwardness of looking Arthur in the face. He found his pants on the floor by his trousers and hurried to get dressed.

“Yeah,” Merlin heard Arthur say as he threaded his belt. “You could help again, if you want. You know. Whenever.”

Merlin looked over his shoulder, at where Arthur was still sitting with his legs out, the condom discarded beside him. Now that Merlin had a chance to properly look, Arthur was gorgeous unclothed, just as Merlin had thought he’d be, all muscle and powerful strength. Merlin allowed himself half a smile as he answered.

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t expect to do all the work next time though. I do that enough as it is.”

Arthur snorted. “And you do a barely tolerable job of it.”

Merlin laughed as he turned back around to do his buttons, because he knew Arthur didn’t really mean it. Arthur needed him, whether or not he occasionally mis-scheduled meetings.

“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Do try to be on time. This doesn’t mean you can slack off.”

“Didn’t think it would. Bye, Arthur.”

Merlin left with the feeling of his arse still used and stretched, and he knew he would ache for a few days. But he couldn’t wait to take Arthur’s cock again, and wondered when next Arthur would need distracting.

%%%

**** **< Emrys>** is back from away.

 **[20:34] <Emrys>** :)

 **[20:34] <Null_Impact>** i think emrys is happy guys

 **[20:34] <Emrys>** :)

 **[20:35] <WILL>** you had sex didnt you

 **[20:35] <Emrys>** :)

 **[20:35] <WILL>** grats

 **[20:35] <Null_Impact>** i feel like we should bake him a cake or something

 **[20:35] <knightstalker>** oh i got you!

 **[20:36] <knightstalker>** <http://bit.ly/1BzuKK0>

**[20:36] <Null_Impact>** where do you even get gifs like that from

 **[20:36] <knightstalker>** tumblr

 **[20:36] <WILL>** not at all surprised


	2. #88

Merlin woke up the next day yawning and stretching and thinking the ache in his arse was strange, almost like he’d had sex. Then a smile spread slowly across his face as he remembered, and suddenly the jarring melody of his alarm was a little less annoying.

In the shower, he traced the rim gently before pushing a ways inside, inhaling sharply at the tenderness. But then he closed his eyes and sighed, his memory easily supplying the feeling of Arthur’s hands touching him much the same way the water was currently dripping down his back. He sort of just worked the single finger back and forth a bit, whispering “yes” and “Arthur” under his breath, moaning as he recalled Arthur inside him.

Merlin knew not to act like anything was different at work though. Despite his good mood, he walked into Arthur’s office with what he hoped was his usual air of emotionless efficiency, setting down Arthur’s latte as he did every morning. Arthur himself looked like he’d bit into a lemon, and was frowning at his computer screen as though it personally wronged him.

“I take it the virus is still an issue?” Merlin asked. And because Arthur had opened his mouth to say what would no doubt be a cutting retort, Merlin hurriedly followed it up with, “Anything I can do?”

Arthur sighed as he lifted his latte to his mouth. “Doubtful.”

Merlin walked around the desk to look at Arthur’s screen. “Holy mother of viruses!”

People’s addresses, credit card numbers, national insurance numbers…loads of sensitive information about the staff at Mercia PLC had been retrieved, and thousands of files corrupted. No wonder Arthur had banged his head on the desk the day before. A security breach like this was catastrophic.

Arthur pushed Merlin away with a hand on his hip. “Yes, Merlin, something like that. I’m going to leave for Mercia in a minute. I was just waiting for you to show up.”

“You’re going to them directly?” Merlin asked.

Mercia _was_ Arthur’s contract—all the most important ones were handled by either him or his father—but even so, it was rare to visit the client. It was usually fixed from right within the Pendragon building.

“Yes.”

“Did you want me to go with you?”

“No, stay here and answer the phone like you’re supposed to.”

Arthur picked up a tablet that Merlin had never seen on the desk and turned it off before sliding it into a thin carrying case with a strap. Merlin tried to remember if he’d ever seen Arthur with it before, but didn’t he think had.

Arthur meant to do something different then.

“Are you sure? I’m not actually incompetent, you know,” Merlin said.

Arthur stood and pulled the strap over his head with another sigh. “No, Merlin, there’s no point in you coming along when you could be useful here. If anything comes up and it absolutely can’t wait, then text me.”

Merlin followed close on Arthur’s heels as he exited the office, latte in hand. “I don’t have your number,” he pointed out.

“You have a company mobile. It’s in there.”

“Oh.”

Arthur closed the door behind them, and Merlin noticed he did it quietly, almost gently.

“If my father happens to come by and asks where I am,” Arthur said, looking in Merlin’s eyes, “tell him you don’t know.”

“Okay.”

Arthur didn’t move right away; he just stared at Merlin a few more seconds, after which Merlin suddenly realised how close they were standing. He could see himself reflected in Arthur’s pupils.

“What?” Merlin asked when Arthur still hadn’t moved.

Arthur blinked, like he’d forgotten where he was, and shook his head a little. “Nothing. There’s an eyelash on your cheek. I’ll be back in a bit, Merlin.”

Merlin raised a hand to his face instinctively as Arthur turned and walked down the corridor. It was only after he looked at the thin strand of black on the tip of his finger that he registered what Arthur had said.

He wasn’t sure what to make of it, so he just went and sat at his desk.

%%%

Merlin had never really been much of an artist. His brain thought in more linear and algorithmic forms, nothing abstract or creative. That didn’t keep him from doodling on his notepad for nearly two hours, drawing tiny, flying robots across the margins and intricate circuit board patterns between the lines.

He was intently shading in an android with a laptop for a head when Arthur’s heavy, purposeful footsteps reached his ears. Merlin looked up just as Arthur passed him in a blur of grey, black, and blond, disappearing into his office.

Arthur had nearly shut the door behind him when suddenly he poked his head out, looking at Merlin.

“I’ll need you to take something to the file room in about an hour,” he said before closing the door.

He usually left it ajar in case he needed to yell for Merlin to do something. A closed door meant ‘don’t bother me.’

Merlin wondered what happened.

He’d probably read about it in the report though, since that had to be what Arthur needed him to take to the file room. Arthur was probably typing it up at the moment, which was why he needed the privacy.

Merlin couldn’t wait to know. He _itched_ to know. Arthur had done something unorthodox, Merlin could tell. He knew for a fact he’d never seen that tablet before; he noticed small details, and he would’ve noticed something like that. If Merlin could sniff passwords on his phone, Arthur could do a lot more on a tablet.

Merlin did try to get a bit of actual work done though, now that Arthur was back. He went through email after email, replying to requests for Arthur’s assistance, or sending back a solution to a problem himself. There were only a few things he had to take note of to tell Arthur later, and by the time he’d finished most of it, he was bored again, so he went back to doodling.

It was nearly two hours after Arthur’s return that Arthur’s door finally reopened. He came out rubbing his eyes as he tossed the file on Merlin’s desk with a _slap_. He’d turned to walk back inside when Merlin called him.

“Arthur.”

Arthur lowered his hand from his face and regarded Merlin blankly as he stood in the doorway. “What?”

Merlin had meant to ask about how things had gone at Mercia, even though he knew Arthur would most likely snap at him again. But upon seeing Arthur’s solemn, withdrawn face, that question fled his mind entirely.

“Are you alright?”

Merlin couldn’t decipher the look Arthur gave him at first. It was partially annoyed, partially puzzled, maybe even partially amused. However, it was only a few seconds before Merlin _could_ read the expression; he knew Arthur as well as he knew himself by now, after all.

It was a look that said, ‘Just because we had sex doesn’t mean you can start asking about my _feelings_.’

Arthur didn’t say it aloud though. After a strained few seconds of silence and awkward eye contact, Arthur’s face smoothed out back to normalcy. Perhaps it even became more relaxed than before. When Arthur sighed, he didn’t sound exasperated as usual, just honestly tired.

“Everything’s fine, Merlin.”

%%%

Merlin waited until he was safely alone in the file room to open the folder and finally read the contents. He simply skimmed any pre-Arthur information, just to get the general facts.

The team that had originally handled the contract was much more competent than the Odin team, but still hadn’t been able to trace the source. They were able to determine that the virus came from an EXE file attached to an email, which a Mercia employee had opened and allowed into the network. With one click, the program had downloaded, and it had quickly spread to each computer, collecting data and corrupting files as it went.

After each replication, it displayed a popup window that was only able to be closed by opening the task manager and quitting the application. It was through searching for the persistent and annoying window that the name of the virus was learnt—Kilgharrah.

Arthur’s actual part of the job didn’t come in until the third page, and as Merlin had suspected it would be, it was rather vague. Arthur had only written that he’d logged in as root user and did a mass deletion of corrupted files before doing a system restore on a single computer to see if it would reset the machine to before the virus attacked. It had, and Arthur had apparently then advised each person do the same to their own computers, which would also allow them to get some of their files back, though many were lost forever.

But it didn’t say how Arthur had obtained root access, or exactly what the ‘corrupted files’ were. Had the head of IT given Arthur the root password or had Arthur hacked them right under their nose? And Arthur could have done loads of other things while he’d been in the network and not made note of any one of them. Merlin was inclined to believe everything had been done according to protocol, because it _was_ Arthur Pendragon of Pendragon Enterprise, model son of the most well-known anti-hacking figurehead in the world. However, there was still a feeling nagging at him, a piece of information that his hacker’s instinct wanted him to look further into.

And it started with that tablet.

Merlin would need to get a look at it somehow. Well, he didn’t _need_ to, but he wanted to. He wanted all the facts. He wanted to _know_.

Merlin had gleaned all he could from the Mercia file. He put it away with the rest of Arthur’s contracts, but didn’t leave the file room just yet. There was something else he wanted to see again.

The Phant0m file. Arthur’s descriptions were just as vague, and it still bothered him. Merlin pulled it out and read the contents again, but they were as cryptic as ever. What Arthur had done was there, but not how he’d done it. It was like he’d solved a maths problem without showing the work. Merlin didn’t know why, but he needed to see the work.

He knew that Arthur knew how to hack. All the programmers in the building had to know, because it took one to catch one. But would Arthur go that far for the sake of one admittedly influential client? Had he done something else, something not vaguely hinted at in the report, something not in the report at all?

Merlin knew Arthur practically as well as he knew himself, but he didn’t know the answer to that.

%%%

Merlin pondered the situation the whole way back to the twenty-first floor. It wasn’t like he would turn Arthur in or anything if Arthur _was_ guilty of the occasional security breach; he’d be an hypocrite if he did. He just wanted to _know_ , dammit. He couldn’t stand not knowing.

Gwen was standing at his desk with her elbows on the ledge when Merlin returned. Merlin had forgotten how much time had passed, and couldn’t believe she was already there with lunch.

“I was going to leave if you didn’t show up in a few minutes,” she said as he approached.

Merlin made sure to put on a smile on his face, and after he remembered that he had a surprise for her, it wasn’t entirely feigned.

“Lance is going to an Interpol concert with Percival on Saturday,” he said. “Sounds like the right place and time to bump into each other, don’t you think?”

Gwen’s face lit up. “Absolutely! I was just _waiting_ for something like this, though I thought I’d have to go undercover and run into him in front of the grocery or something. This is perfect, Merlin. I just hope there’s still time to buy tickets.”

Merlin leaned over his desk and opened one of the folders by the calendar. He pulled out his surprise—two tickets to Saturday’s Interpol concert.

“Here,” he said, holding them out.

Gwen gasped, and simply gaped at him a moment, but then she threw her arms around him and hugged him so hard he could barely breathe.

“Oh my God, Merlin, you are _amazing_! I can’t believe you’ve done this for me, you’re the best friend ever!”

Merlin pat Gwen’s back as he tried to get enough air into his lungs. “No problem, Gwen,” he gasped out. “Was easy.”

She pulled away and took the tickets, looking down at them with awe. “Why two?” she asked.

“Oh, well, I figured you could go with someone. Otherwise you’d risk looking like some friendless loser and you don’t want that, do you?” he said, grinning.

She smiled back. “Course not.”

“And,” Merlin continued, “as far as I can tell, Percival is single, too. Whatever friend you bring along could benefit as well…”

“You’re brilliant, Merlin.”

Merlin nodded. “Yes, I know.”

Gwen hugged him again, thankfully with less force this time. “No matter how things end up with Lance, I promise I’ll keep bringing you lunch for Arthur. It’s the least I could do.”

“Thanks, Gwen. If you need help with anything else, just ask.”

“I will. Now, I should get back to my desk before Morgana gets angry. See you later, Merlin.”

“Bye, Gwen.”

Merlin turned back to his desk, picking up the glass container he’d become so familiar with over the weeks. He nearly dropped it when he saw Arthur standing in the doorway of his office, arms crossed over his chest and a brow raised.

Merlin tried to remember if he and Gwen had been talking loudly, and if they were, how much Arthur could have heard. Before he could think of anything to say in his defence, Arthur spoke over him.

“So that was the deal? Giving her information on some bloke she likes?”

“Er, yes,” Merlin said. He walked past Arthur into his office to set the food down, and felt more than heard Arthur following him. “I just happened to be friends with the man and was able to relay information through subtle questioning.”

Arthur sat in his chair looking unimpressed. “You started bringing me her food on your third day. How could you have managed to befriend someone on the lower floor that quickly?”

Merlin gasped in mock offence. “I’m a likeable bloke, you know! You really shouldn’t doubt my charming smile,” he said, giving Arthur a shining example of one.

Arthur rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as well. “Charming. Right.” Then he changed the subject completely. “Why give her both tickets? Why not go with her yourself?”

Merlin shrugged. “I’m not really into concerts. I prefer to stay home.”

“Ah, you’re one of _those_ types,” Arthur said, plunging the fork into the bowl of rice. “The sort that doesn’t leave the house.”

Merlin tilted his chin defiantly. “Maybe I am.”

Arthur looked a bit uncertain as he chewed, and still seemed hesitant to say what was on his mind after swallowing. “You weren’t actually…I mean, that wasn’t…your first time yesterday, right?”

Merlin felt his eyes widen and hurried to return them to their normal size. He knew he was blushing, but he couldn’t exactly help that.

He also didn’t know whether or not to be insulted.

“’Cause you were—”

“No,” Merlin cut Arthur off. “It’s just been a few years, and it felt like it’d been a few years. Still does.”

Merlin could’ve slapped his forehead, and strongly fought the urge to do so. What the hell had made him say that?

He turned to go without another word, not caring in the slightest how his hasty exit looked, not even when he heard Arthur snort in amusement behind him.

%%%

Merlin was about to click ‘Send’ on his last email of the day when he heard the familiar _clop-clop-clopping_ of heels that signalled a woman approaching. And besides Gwen, there was only one woman that ever roamed the twenty-first floor.

Merlin slid back from his desk and ducked under it, nearly hitting his head on the keyboard in his haste.

He held his breath as the footsteps neared, and when they stopped, he heard an exasperated sigh that sounded eerily similar to Arthur’s. Merlin thought for sure Morgana could hear his heart racing in his chest, and it only beat faster and harder as the need for air increased.

Merlin’s stomach plummeted when he heard the footsteps start walking around the desk, and he thought _No, no, no, oh please no._ He nearly squeezed his eyes shut when he saw her slender legs enter his vision, but he did have a small bit of dignity.

She didn’t bend down to look at him, simply stood there a few seconds, no doubt crossing her arms just as Arthur tended to do, before sighing again.

“I’d say it’s your turn to close your eyes and count to thirty, but unfortunately there’s no time. Stop being a child so I can talk to you.”

Merlin poked his head out. She was wearing green today, a slim, cotton dress that conformed to her shape and had a collar—thankfully—close to her neck. Her shoes were entirely black and looked like a death trap, and her hair was in a messier ponytail than usual, though her eyes were just as piercing as normal from where they stared down at Merlin through large framed glasses.

She looked like a snake. A vicious, venomous viper, with gorgeous tits and amazing legs.

Bloody hell, those legs…

“If you try to look up my dress, I’ll castrate you,” she said.

Merlin did hit his head trying to get out from under the desk in a hurry. He put a hand to it gingerly as he got to his feet, determinedly not looking at Morgana until his spine was completely straightened.

“S-Sorry, what d’you need?”

Morgana rolled her eyes. “I need you to get Arthur to leave. Seduce him or something, I don’t care how.”

Merlin’s breath caught in his throat. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard correctly.

“Wh-What?”

“I’ll make it simple for your true-false, yes-no brain: Father’s not happy. Arthur’s going to get yelled at. You’re going to invite him to have sex with you so that he’ll leave early. Arthur won’t get yelled at.”

“I don’t—”

“Don’t try to tell me he hasn’t slept with you by now, it’s been months. I know you’re also into blokes, my assistant told me.”

“What? Gwen told—No, that’s not the issue—”

“Good. Go ask him then,” she said, pushing him toward Arthur’s door.

Merlin knew better than to argue with her, so even though he had no idea what he was going to say or why Morgana cared whether or not Arthur got yelled at in the first place, he took another step forward toward Arthur’s office.

Morgana’s hands suddenly pulled him back by his trousers, her fingers dipping into the waistline and tugging. Merlin gasped as he stumbled backward.

“Shit,” she hissed. “Too late.”

Merlin didn’t know how, but somehow Morgana heard Uther’s footsteps from around the corner. She pushed him into his chair and slid into the shadowed corner beside him, out of his vision. When Uther passed Merlin’s desk, it was with quick efficiency, and the man wasted no time sparing a glance for the bumbling PA as he entered Arthur’s office, shutting the door behind him.

Behind him, Morgana sighed. “Great.”

“Why exactly do you care if Arthur gets yelled at again?” Merlin asked.

Morgana frowned, her lips pouting. “Arthur’s going to be annoying about it.”

“Isn’t he annoying about everything?”

“Yes, but he’s not your brother. It’s worse,” she said.

She walked up to the door and put an ear to it, though Merlin knew she didn’t have to; he could hear the muffled screaming from where he sat.

“ _—how to fix it and the Mercia team didn’t! All I did was save them the trouble!_ ”

“ _When you’re running the entire company, you won’t have time to go out on spontaneous visits to client so you’d better learn how to delegate your workload now. And they won’t get any more educated on how to solve problems themselves if you keep doing it for them._ ”

Morgana stepped away from the door with a sigh, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Definitely going to be intolerable about this,” she declared. “Sunday can’t come and go fast enough.”

Merlin logged out of everything and started shutting down his computer. He didn’t know what she was talking about, and for once he had no desire to find out. He wanted to go home, maybe research more into Phant0m. He longed to ask his other clan members about him.

“— _most of the time, like with the Odin contract!_ ” Arthur was yelling in his office as Merlin put on his jacket. “ _But occasionally time is of the essence, you know that better than anyone, and I didn’t want to waste time! It’s all in the file how I did it anyway, if they want to know, they can go back and read it._ ”

Merlin knew for a fact that it wasn’t in the file and that Arthur was lying through his teeth, but he was done for the day, and wasn’t going to let the matter trouble him. It wasn’t his business to get caught up in it, so he did one last check to make sure he had everything, that any messages left for Arthur were in plain view, before walking around the desk past Morgana.

Morgana, however, walked down the corridor with him, keeping pace with him easily. Merlin tried to discreetly distance himself, but she only neared him, until he felt trapped between her and the wall on his right.

“Do you like him?” she asked, looking at him through narrowed eyes.

Merlin knew who she meant, but asked just to be sure. “Who?”

“Arthur.”

“He’s alright. Not the worst boss I’ve had, that’s for sure.”

“You didn’t seem to hesitate much when I asked you to seduce him,” she said.

Merlin swallowed. It felt like the lift was a thousand miles away. “You didn’t seem to leave much room for negotiation.”

“So you _have_ already slept with him.”

Merlin didn’t see any point in lying, not to her. She’d find out eventually, almost certainly from Arthur, because—

Oh, Sunday! Now Morgana’s earlier statement made sense. Arthur had lunch with her once a month, in order to, in Arthur’s words, “keep enemies closer.” Merlin had put that into Arthur’s schedule himself; how could he forget?

“You did, didn’t you?” she nudged when Merlin hadn’t said anything.

“I…No. Maybe. Yes. It’s not a surprise though, is it?” he added quickly. “I was under the impression that it was a, er, common practice with him.”

“It is. Though it usually happens much quicker. After he bullies them into doing a decent job, he charms them and makes sure they’ll always will. Until of course he gets bored.”

They’d finally reached the lifts, and not a second too soon. Merlin didn’t like where this conversation was going at all, and as he pushed the button to call the lift, he wished to be anywhere but here.

“Don’t worry about that happening to you, though,” she continued. “At least not for a while. He fancies you.”

“Uh…” There went Merlin’s ‘uh’ streak. But he was more worried about the fact that she thought Arthur fancied him, which Arthur obviously did not.

“I can tell. He talks about you more than the others. God knows why. You don’t _look_ like anything special.”

Merlin frowned. “Oh. Thanks.”

When the hell would the lift get here? Why would a building as tall and busy as Pendragon Enterprise only have three lifts?

“Though of course he has no idea he fancies you himself,” she went on. “He’s so oblivious it’s practically an art form.”

She sounded mental. Merlin was seriously considering taking twenty-one flights of stairs when the lift finally showed up. He hoped she wouldn’t get in with him.

“Well, it’s been a pleasure talking to you, Merlin,” she said, patting his arm and therefore making Merlin tense up. “You _have_ been doing well keeping him tolerable for the most part. I admit I’m impressed. Have a good evening!”

Merlin exhaled when she turned and walked away, and couldn’t get in the lift quickly enough. But Morgana’s words echoed in his head the whole ride down.

So what if Arthur talked about him more than the previous PAs? It was probably just to complain anyway. Why would she think Arthur _liked_ him?

%%%

Merlin changed into shorts and a t-shirt when he got home, then exchanged contacts for glasses, and started cooking something simple. He felt that nagging in his mind again, the itch for information that he longed to scratch. But if he delved into it right away, then he’d stay up all night and forget to eat. He had to at least have something.

Taking a bowl of pasta—real pasta—to his room, Merlin tried to think back to the last time he’d heard of Phant0m. It’d been years ago, that was for sure. Maybe three or four?

He didn’t ask his friends right away, though he wanted to. He made himself engage in small talk as he ate his food, before getting to the matter at hand.

 **[19:03] <Emrys>** Do any of you remember Phant0m?

 **[19:03] <knightstalker>** whoa, that was waaaay back in time

 **[19:03] <WILL>** yeah Em was still in uni i think. either that or just out of it

 **[19:03] <morderator>** Before I joined.

 **[19:04] <Emrys>** He was traced during the third hacker’s war, right?

 **[19:04] <knightstalker>** yep, he was in one of the warring clans

 **[19:04] <knightstalker>** internet druids

 **[19:04] <Emrys>** Any ideas on how he got caught?

 **[19:05] <morderator>** Pendragon probably. They were just getting big then.

 **[19:05] <WILL>** ^

 **[19:05] <knightstalker>** OH

 **[19:05] <knightstalker>** speaking of the warring clans, remember your e-crush, cyber sword?

 **[19:06] <Emrys>** Yeah, he was one of those to disappear.

**< Emrys> mourns the loss of a great internet hero.**

**[19:06] <Emrys>** But what does he have to do with Phant0m? I know Cyber was in the Order of Knights but as far as I know he didn’t participate in the war, he just left the internet.

 **[19:06] <knightstalker>** mourn no more mon ami!

 **[19:07] <knightstalker>** i found him!!!

Merlin gaped.

 **[19:07] <Emrys>** WHERE???

 **[19:07] <knightstalker>** actually he found us

 **[19:07] <knightstalker>** he replied to our recruitment thread on hackforums

 **[19:07] <knightstalker>** HE WANTS TO JOIN US.

 **[19:08] <Emrys>** WHAT

 **[19:08] <WILL>** shit

 **[19:08] <morderator>** Finally, I won’t be the noob.

 **[19:08] <WILL>** you’ll always be the noob

 **[19:08] <knightstalker>** you’ll always be the noob

 **< morderator>** **pouts.**

 **[19:09] <knightstalker>** it could be the same cyber sword, or it could be someone pretending to be him, but either way we should check it out

 **[19:09] <Emrys>** Definitely.

 **[19:09] <knightstalker>** i haven’t contacted him cause i figured you’d want to

 **[19:09] <knightstalker>** he might be able to answer your phant0m question too ;)

 **[19:10] <WILL>** we have been having the best luck lately wow

 **[19:10] <WILL>** i’m kind of scared somethings gonna go wrong now

Merlin opened up a new tab and pulled up their forum thread. He could hardly believe it. There it was, the user name Merlin hadn’t seen in ages right in his own clan posting saying he was interested in being a part of Legion.

Cyber Sword wanted to join his fucking clan!

Merlin may have squeaked and flailed a bit, but then he took a deep breath and pushed his glasses back up. This was serious business. He actually cleared his throat as he went about opening up a private message.

“Ahem.”

 

 **Subject:** (no subject)  
 **From:** Emrys  
 **To:** Cyber_Sword

Are you the real Cyber Sword?

Merlin was surprised. He was about to switch back to the IRC tab, but the reply was almost instantaneous.

 

 **Subject:** Re: (no subject)  
 **From:** Cyber_Sword  
 **To:** Emrys

That’s funny. I’m laughing.

Ha ha.

 

 **Subject:** Re: Re: (no subject)  
 **From:** Emrys  
 **To:** Cyber_Sword

Explain.

 

 **Subject:** Re: Re: Re: (no subject)  
 **From:** Cyber_Sword  
 **To:** Emrys

Don’t you know? Nobody tells the truth on the internet.

I’m Cyber Sword, yes, but you have no way to verify that. It’s humourous to me that you would ask.

Also, my HF account was never deleted. If you went to my profile and saw the ‘member since’ date, you’d know that and wouldn’t have had to ask.

 

 **Subject:** Re: Re: Re: Re: (no subject)  
 **From:** Emrys  
 **To:** Cyber_Sword

Cock.

 

 **Subject:** Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: (no subject)  
 **From:** Cyber_Sword  
 **To:** Emrys

Vagina.

Are we done with human genitalia now?

 

 **Subject:** I am never done with genitalia but we’ll move on  
 **From:** Emrys  
 **To:** Cyber_Sword

You’ve been offline for years. Why show up again now?

 

 **Subject:** So you’re a virgin. Good to know.  
 **From:** Cyber_Sword  
 **To:** Emrys

I only left OoK so I wouldn’t risk a trace. I wasn’t interested in getting caught up in all the war nonsense. I got a “real” job in the meantime and had other commitments but now I’ve made time to have a bit of fun again. OoK has disbanded since then and I’m looking for another clan. Legion seems promising.

 

 **Subject:** Am not.  
 **From:** Emrys  
 **To:** Cyber_Sword

Because I lead it?

 

 **Subject:** Anonymous is a virgin by default.  
 **From:** Cyber_Sword  
 **To:** Emrys

Yes.

 

Merlin couldn’t help smiling. And maybe he did a victory dance. Cyber Sword was turning out to be a bit of a prick, but the man was still Cyber Sword. He was still legendary. Still bloody _amazing_.

 

 **Subject:** Did you really just quote the rules? I am disappoint.  
 **From:** Emrys  
 **To:** Cyber_Sword

Okay. We have an IRC chat. Do you have a server I can upload the password file to?

 

 **Subject:** Okay.  
 **From:** Cyber_Sword  
 **To:** Emrys

Sending me a virus?

 

 **Subject:** Re: Okay  
 **From:** Emrys  
 **To:** Cyber_Sword

I’d never. Hacker’s honour.

 

 **Subject:** Re: Re: Okay  
 **From:** Cyber_Sword  
 **To:** Emrys

Hackers don’t have honour.

 

 **Subject:** Re: Re: Re: Okay  
 **From:** Emrys  
 **To:** Cyber_Sword

This one does.

It’s one of the rules of Legion actually - You have to honour and respect your fellow clan members. And as a (prospective) clan member, I’d never send you a malicious file.

 

 **Subject:** Re: Re: Re: Re: Okay  
 **From:** Cyber_Sword  
 **To:** Emrys

Alright, just a minute.

 

Merlin waited while Cyber presumably set up his server. He planned to delete the password file after thirty seconds, just to be safe. Long enough for Cyber to read the contents but quick enough to prevent him from downloading it.

Merlin was surprised again when, after uploading to the specified port on the server and waiting only ten seconds, the file disappeared on its own. That had to mean Cyber deleted the file after reading it himself.

 _Already acting with honour then_ , Merlin mused in approval.

 

**** **< Cyber_Sword>** joined #Legion

 **[19:35] <WILL>** oh hey

 **[19:35] <morderator>** Hello.

 **[19:36] <knightstalker>** hiiii

 **[19:36] <Cyber_Sword>** Hi.

 **[19:36] <Emrys>** So introduce yourselves I guess.

 **[19:36] <WILL>** there’s one more of us btw, not online right now. bloke named null, lives in a hobbit hole

 **[19:36] <Emrys>** He means New Zealand.

 **[19:36] <morderator>** Morderator, from Wales. I’m the only sane one here :)

 **[19:37] <knightstalker>** i am the amazing knightstalker, Em’s e-girlfriend in california~

 **[19:37] <knightstalker>** and Will is Em’s unofficial other half

Merlin actually groaned.

 **[19:37] <Emrys>** 1\. We are not and never will be married.

 **[19:37] <WILL>** 2\. i’m not into cock

 **[19:37] <Emrys>** 3\. Ew.

 **[19:37] <WILL>** 3\. EW!

 **[19:37] <morderator>** I think you’ve just proved a point.

 **[19:38] <knightstalker>** definitely just proved a point

 **[19:38] <Cyber_Sword>** You’re in England, right Emrys?

 **[19:38] <Emrys>** Yep.

 **[19:38] <Cyber_Sword>** Could tell from the companies you’ve hacked.

 **[19:38] <Emrys>** Will is as well.

 **[19:39] <WILL>** you, cyber?

 **[19:39] <Cyber_Sword>** I’d rather not say.

 **[19:39] <Cyber_Sword>** At least not yet.

 **[19:39] <Emrys>** Makes sense.

 **[19:40] <Cyber_Sword>** Is knightstalker actually your e-girlfriend?

 **[19:40] <Emrys>** Lol, not really, we just pretend.

 **< knightstalker>** **sobs.**

 **[19:40] <knightstalker>** I THOUGHT WHAT WE HAD WAS SPECIAL

 **[19:40] <Emrys>** Haha, sorry, love.

 **[19:41] <knightstalker>** :(

 **[19:41] <WILL>** does this mean you’re available knight?

 **[19:41] <Emrys>** Whoa hold on now

 **[19:41] <Cyber_Sword>** So that means knightstalker is a girl?

 **[19:41] <morderator>** I was surprised too.

 **[19:42] <knightstalker>** yes

 **[19:42] <WILL>** a totally fit girl btw

 **[19:42] <Cyber_Sword>** I don’t mean any offence, just never met a girl anon before.

 **[19:42] <knightstalker>** that’s me :D i have the period stains in my underwear to prove it :D

 **[19:43] <WILL>** KNIGHT YOU DO NOT SPEAK OF SUCH THINGS

 **[19:43] <Emrys>** I think I might have to agree unfortunately...Could we please not? At least not in such detail...*shudders*

**< knightstalker> rolls her eyes.**

**[19:43] <WILL>** show him the photo though, that’s real proof

 **[19:43] <WILL>** rule 32 and all that

 **[19:44] <Cyber_Sword>** Rule 31...

 **[19:44] <WILL>** omg i like this guy can we keep him?

 **[19:44] <Emrys>** We’ll see.

 **[19:45] <knightstalker>** <http://bit.ly/1tpGHvO>

**[19:45] <Cyber_Sword>** wow

 **[19:45] <Cyber_Sword>** Is that you??

 **[19:46] <knightstalker>** yep :D

 **[19:46] <Cyber_Sword>** That’s a really nice bra.

 **[19:46] <morderator>** I guess the bra is nice too.

 **[19:46] <knightstalker>** thank you! it’s very comfortable. def my favorite.

 **[19:47] <WILL>** now i have to say it

 **[19:47] <WILL>** rule 27

 **[19:47] <Emrys>** Will, come on.

 **[19:47] <WILL>** what? valid question!

 **[19:47] <morderator>** Am I the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on?

 **[19:48] <Cyber_Sword>** I’m good with anything tbh.

 **[19:48] <Emrys>** No Mord, only no-lifes have the stupid rules memorised. I sure as fuck don’t know what Will is on about now.

 **[19:48] <Cyber_Sword>** 27 is “Always question a person’s sexual preferences without any real reason.”

 **[19:48] <Cyber_Sword>** Obviously since I remarked on the bra and not the tits he thinks I’m gay, and therefore felt the need to ask in his own roundabout way.

 **[19:48] <WILL>** you’re kind of a dick

 **< Cyber_Sword>** **shrugs.**

 **[19:49] <WILL>** still...you know the rules, so i like you. you can stay.

 **[19:49] <Emrys>** Isn’t that up to me?

 **[19:49] <WILL>** semantics

 **[19:49] <Cyber_Sword>** Thanks I guess.

 **[19:50] <WILL>** Em is that way too. good with anything.

 **[19:50] <Emrys>** Will.

 **[19:50] <WILL>** not like you're in the closett mate

 **< Emrys>** **sighs.**

 **[19:50] <Cyber_Sword>** Cool. Haven’t come across many people like that.

 **[19:50] <knightstalker>** have you never heard of tumblr?

 **[19:51] <WILL>** NOOOOO

 **[19:51] <morderator>** Ugh.

 **[19:51] <Cyber_Sword>** No...?

 **[19:51] <knightstalker>** allow me to enlighten you :)

Merlin sat back as conversation went on without him. He still wanted to know about Phant0m, but even with his limited social skills, he knew it was better to let Cyber get settled first. He knew things didn’t always go like that on the internet, that some people were uptight and all business when it came to hacking, but Merlin sort of prided himself on creating a comfortable environment for his clan. He doubted the Order of Knights had been as laid back as his friends.

It wasn’t imperative that Merlin get to the bottom of the Phant0m situation today, but tomorrow for sure, he would.

%%%

It was just past lunch the next day when Merlin jolted in his seat at the sight of Arthur suddenly striding out of his office.

“Follow me. Now.”

Merlin dropped his pen and sprung out of his chair, hurrying to catch up. It felt odd going somewhere empty-handed. He felt like he was supposing to be carrying something.

“Where are we going? What’s happening?” Merlin asked.

Arthur jabbed the down button for the lift and sighed. “It’s the same virus I saw yesterday. It’s attacking another major client.”

“But that virus was from a file. There’s nothing we can do if it’s already been opened.”

Arthur didn’t even look surprised that Merlin read the report. He just glanced up at the floor indicator and exhaled shortly.

“There is something, actually.” He looked at Merlin, raising his eyebrows and making eye contact so firmly that Merlin felt uncomfortable. “Just do exactly as I say.”

The lift came and it was thankfully empty. Arthur stepped in and Merlin noticed he pressed the button for the fifth floor.

“When don’t I do as you say?”

“I need you to distract the team working on the client’s contract,” Arthur continued, ignoring Merlin’s question and staring ahead. “Gather them somewhere, ask a bunch of questions, I don’t care. Just stall while I handle it.”

“And how are you going to handle it?”

“Don’t worry about it, just do as I say.”

Merlin sighed and tried not to take it personally. Of course things hadn’t changed since they’d fucked—Arthur had said they wouldn’t and Merlin needed to stop thinking that way. He just thought that _maybe_ Arthur would be less of an arse.

Merlin hadn’t felt used before, not right after they’d done it and not yesterday, but he sort of did now.

He mentally shook himself, telling himself that he was being ridiculous. He knew what he’d been getting into sleeping with Arthur and he’d made the conscious decision to go through with it, to even say that he wouldn’t mind doing it again. He just...wasn’t used to hooking up with someone and then having that person treat him like nothing but a servant.

 _Guess that’s why you’re not supposed to fuck your boss,_ Merlin thought. _Merlin, you idiot._

The lift arrived at their floor, snapping Merlin out of his thoughts. He hurried after Arthur and whispered as they walked by cubicle after cubicle.

“What about what your father said?”

Arthur only slightly turned his head to Merlin. At least he was indicating interest. “What did my father say?”

“When you...When he said you’re not to do everything yourself and that you should delegate work to others?”

Arthur halted abruptly and turned on his heel, raising a finger to point threateningly in Merlin’s face. “That was a private conversation, and either way, letting some less-qualified idiot deal with something this critical is out of the question,” Arthur hissed. “If it wasn’t such an important company being attacked, I wouldn’t take the time. I’d make _you_ do it,” he finished, stabbing Merlin’s chest.

“But—”

“I know how to prioritise, Merlin, which is something my father and I disagree on.”

Merlin spoke quickly, fearing he wouldn’t get a word in otherwise. “It wasn’t like I was eavesdropping, it was just that the two of you were practically having a shouting match.”

Arthur lowered his hand and sighed, turning back back around. He didn’t say anything so Merlin just followed loyally, past the gloomy programmers seated at their desks.

When they arrived at the set of four cubicles—two sets of two facing each other—Arthur cleared his throat and nodded at Merlin meaningfully. Merlin didn’t understand for a moment, but then Arthur pointed at the group and then pointed down the corridor, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, yes, um.” Merlin walked closer to the seated four and tried to make himself look as important as possible. “Right, so, you, you, you, and you, come with me,” he said, pointing at each of the wide-eyed programmers. One had glasses that took up nearly half his face—and Merlin had thought _his_ were bad. “ _Now_ ,” he added when they didn’t immediately stand up.

They didn’t look completely daft...well one looked like he had a mental affliction, but he had to be at least semi-competent to be working here. Another was balding, then there was the one with the huge spectacles, and the last one was just remarkably tall, taller than Merlin.

Merlin tried to calm his nerves as he led them just around the corner into the corridor. In his couple months at Pendragon Enterprise, he’d had to do various administrative tasks, like going in person to remind someone that “Mr Pendragon is expecting a report” or solving a problem that Arthur had been emailed about and that Merlin had to look at first before deeming it worthy to bring him in.

But Merlin had never had to do something like this, something that required charm and charisma and...talking to _multiple people at once._ It was easy enough to lead in the digital world but real people were fucking scary.

Not to mention these people weren’t from the internet and practically spoke a whole different language.

Once they got around the corner, Merlin wet his lips and took a deep breath before turning around. The four of them were on one side of the wall while Merlin was right at the vertex, giving him a view of Arthur back at the cubicles. Perfect.

Now he just had to deal with the gawking computer scientists in front of him.

Merlin cleared his throat again— _They probably think I have some sort of smoking problem at this point._ —and crossed his arms in a way he hoped came across as condescending, the way Arthur did it. Or maybe they wouldn’t respond well to being looked down on, since he knew he certainly didn’t. Merlin dropped his arms and slid his hands into his pockets, going for casual instead.

_Oh fuck it._

“So, er, don’t laugh,” he began, and wow, what a way to begin, “but I’m supposed to ask you about your _feelings_.”

The bloke with the over sized glasses tilted his head, making said eyewear slide down his nose. “Pardon?”

Merlin shrugged and tried again. “It’s a thing, apparently, you know, that Arthur wanted done. I guess. Wants to know what you’d change about the company and how you feel when coming into work every day. All that bollocks.”

The balding man gaped at him and Merlin figured okay, he’d probably overdone it with “bollocks” because it was a professional setting and all, and it wasn’t like people just walked around saying that. But he wasn’t any good at pretending to be high and mighty, so he’d gone for casual and friendly. Apparently too friendly?

Merlin forced a smile onto his face, hoping it came across easygoing and genuine. “I know I for one can barely drag myself out of bed at the thought of having do everything Arthur says,” he said, nodding in Arthur’s direction. “What about you, you have any complaints?”

Merlin had indicated the tall (intimidating) man, whose eyes Merlin couldn’t even really see, and it wasn’t long before he found out why that was a bad choice.

“Aren’t these things supposed to be anonymous?” the man asked.

Merlin chuckled nervously and stepped forward a little to read the man’s badge, then stepped back.

“Ehehe, Harold. The thing is, you’re like an experimental group, yeah? Arthur wasn’t really sure if the whole anonymous survey thing was a good idea or not so he said, ‘Merlin, I want you to talk to these four blokes just as a test trial. See if it’s worth looking into or not.’ I wouldn’t tell him anything you say; he didn’t ask for that. He just asked me to get a read on things so to speak, to see if there’s enough discontent to warrant a survey. So, er, here I am.”

 _Merlin, you stupid fuck,_ Merlin mentally groaned. He waited anxiously, certain they were about to laugh at him.

“Oh,” the tall man, Harold, said after a moment. “Well Adam is always stealing my stapler.”

“I am not!” the glasses bloke protested.

“And I don’t see why we can’t have food at our desks if the higher-ups get to,” Harold added.

“A-A-Also,” the balding man began, “if you could, t-t-tell Mr Pendragon to talk to M-M-Ms Pendragon about sm-sm-smiling more? I think she suffers from what is c-c-c-colloquially known as Resting Bitch Face.”

Merlin stifled a snort, but didn’t hold back his grin. “I’ll see what I can do, but to be honest, she scares the shit out of me, too.”

“While we’re on the topic of females, there really aren’t that many here,” Adam pointed out, adjusting his glasses. “I mean, I’m, er, only interested in workplace equality, you know? Lots of talented female programmers out there.”

“Uh, yeah, noted.”

It was relatively easygoing after that. Arthur hadn’t said how long to distract them for, so Merlin cast occasional glances in his direction. Some things the men had to say were actually rather informative—Merlin hadn’t known about Superhero Tuesday, where everyone wore their favourite superhero t-shirt under their work clothes—and others were a bit disturbing, like the fact that some guy named Maurice muttered about cameras in the computer monitors and conspiracy theories and they really needed to have him sorted out. When Merlin looked to his left a final time, seeing Arthur get up from one of the cubicle computers, Merlin thanked them for their time and said he had more than enough data to prevent a null pointer exception. It was a lame joke even to him, but the four of them laughed their heads off.

After shaking each of their hands, Merlin turned and walked back to the lift, where Arthur had already pressed the up button. Arthur had his hands in his pockets and his jaw set in a way that didn’t exactly reassure Merlin.

“How’d it go?” Merlin asked.

“Not as well as I’d hoped, but it’s not an immediate threat for now.”

“What’s our next move?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just focus on the smaller clients.”

As they walked into the lift—in which was Merlin was dismayed to see had three other people—he lowered his voice and tried to speak only to Arthur, though he knew he was still clearly audible in the confined space.

“Is that what you need me to do, or what you want me to do?”

Arthur barely shot him a sideways glance. “It doesn’t make a difference because either way you’ll do what you’re told,” he replied just as quietly.

“No—”

“No?” Arthur echoed, looking at him suddenly.

“If it’s just what you want, then I’m going to ignore you and try to help.”

Arthur quirked a brow, but Merlin thought—hoped—that _maybe_ he saw a spark of amusement in his eyes.

“You’ve been awful cheeky since the _last_ time you helped.”

The memory went through Merlin’s body like an electric shock, his heart skipping a beat. He spared a thought for the three other people in the lift before daring to lean the slightest bit closer and brush his fingers against Arthur’s, soft and strangely intimate.

“You mean when I helped you take your mind off things?” Merlin asked lowly.

He hadn’t even really spoken it; he’d barely been able to hear his own voice when he whispered the words. But Arthur pulled his hand away, not jerking back quick enough to rouse suspicion but quick enough to mean something to Merlin.

“Precisely,” he bit out.

They didn’t say anything else until they were alone in the lift, and Merlin could feel the tension bleed out of the Arthur’s posture.

“You don’t need an assistant who’ll do as he’s told,” Merlin said firmly, staring at Arthur across from him. “You need one who’ll do what’s necessary and in the most efficient way possible.”

Arthur actually laughed. “You think I need a sidekick?”

“Arthur, don’t you remember what you said to me on my first day? That you wanted a PA who could—essentially—be you? I _know_ you need a sidekick.”

Arthur shook his head just as the lift doors opened onto their floor. They were in public again, but not so public that Merlin need whisper completely. He shuffled after Arthur, speaking low as they walked.

“I know Uther’s retiring soon and you need the transition to be as smooth as possible. Let me help you and make things easier.”

Arthur stopped in his tracks, making Merlin bump into him. He spun on him again and glared at him meaningfully.

“What I need _now_ is a PA who can handle the shit I’m too busy to deal with while I take care of the gun staring the company in the face,” he spat angrily, not a single trace of amusement left. “Don’t ever presume to know what I need again, Merlin.”

As Arthur went back to his office, slamming the door behind him, Merlin resisted the urge to punch something. If this had been any other job, he’d have quit and left a parting gift by now.

Walking back to his desk, Merlin tried to shake off the feelings of hurt and anger and get back to work.

%%%

Merlin didn’t want to return to the IRC and mope or rant about his day to the others, no matter how bad he felt. It wasn’t as if he could tell them much anyway, considering it was Arthur Pendragon of Pendragon Enterprise who he was moping about. So after going about his usual routine of putting on his glasses and changing into something more comfortable, Merlin decided he’d try to perk himself up, to at least try to make light conversation and behave as if nothing was bothering him.

It was when Cyber Sword came in that Merlin remembered his earlier question about Phant0m. Pursuing a line of knowledge was the perfect way to distract himself, and if all else failed, he was pretty sure he still had a World of Warcraft subscription if the monthly deduction from his bank account was any indicator.

 

 **[19:16] <Emrys>** Hey Cyber, question.

 **[19:16] <Cyber_Sword>** Hey Em, answer.

 **[19:16] <Emrys>** Do you remember Phant0m from OoK?

 **[19:17] <Cyber_Sword>** Yeah

 **[19:17] <Emrys>** Remember how he got caught? Like details?

 **[19:19] <Cyber_Sword>** why

 **[19:19] <Emrys>** Just wondering if you remember who caught him?

 **[19:20] <morderator>** It was Pendragon Enterprise.

 **[19:20] <Cyber_Sword>** Yeah it was.

 **[19:20] <Emrys>** But do you remember how? Was his firewall down or did he slip up and get traced or what?

 **[19:21] <Cyber_Sword>** I never found that part out, sorry.

 **[19:21] <Cyber_Sword>** Why?

 **[19:21] <Emrys>** Nothing, just personal reasons. Forget about it.

 

Merlin slumped in disappointment. He didn’t like reaching a dead end, and it wasn’t as if he could ask Arthur about it.

Arthur, who under-appreciated him and hardly ever said thank you.

Arthur, whom he’d slept with and kissed and clung to while he came.

Merlin groaned and banged his head on the desk. He hated his life, he hated his life.

 

 **[19:22] <Cyber_Sword>** That’s a bit of a dodgy reason, but okay. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.

 **[19:22] <Emrys>** It’s fine.

 **[19:22] <Cyber_Sword>** I do have a question for you though

 **[19:23] <Emrys>** OK

 **[19:23] <Cyber_Sword>** How long have you been hacking?

 **[19:24] <Emrys>** I started Legion in uni after I made friends with Will, so that was maybe 4 or 5 years ago. Maybe 6? idek anymore.

 **[19:24] <Emrys>** I’d been hacking a bit on my own before then but nothing major like big companies or anything.

 

Merlin couldn’t explain it, but that’s when he suddenly felt even more like shit than before. Like he’d been held together by a bunch of small plasters and they all just decided to pop off. His chest felt heavy and he wanted to curl up under his duvet.

 

 **[19:32] <Emrys>** Actually I’m not feeling too well so I’m gonna lurk and play WoW for a bit to take my mind off things.

 **[19:32] <morderator>** What’s wrong?

 **[19:33] <Emrys>** I’ve just had a shit day, hopefully things will be better on monday.

 **[19:33] <WILL>** i’ll play with you, you havent been on in ages

 **[19:33] <WILL>** i actually though you might’ve cancelled your subscription

 **[19:34] <Emrys>** Just havent’ thought to get on but I need the distraction now.

 **[19:34] <WILL>** think there’s been 2 new patches since you last played

 **[19:34] <WILL>** and new dungeons that you probably dont have a high enough ilvl for so we’ll run some randoms

 **[19:34] <Emrys>** ok

 

Merlin opened up the game client and started downloading the update. He actually couldn’t remember what his Night Elf mage was wearing, and wondered what had changed since he’d last logged on. If Blizzard changed the talent trees again and he had to respec it was just going to make his mood even worse.

Merlin sighed at the time remaining on the download and went back to the IRC window.

 

 **[19:37] <Cyber_Sword>** If you guys need a tank I can join?

 **[19:37] <WILL>** oh fuck yeah we’re both dps that’d be great

 **[19:37] <WILL>** i’m a gnome rogue and Em’s a nelf mage

 **[19:37] <Emrys>** Sure

 **[19:37] <Cyber_Sword>** What class?

 **[19:37] <Cyber_Sword>** Oh, nice. I’m human pally.

 **[19:38] <Cyber_Sword>** What spec?

 **[19:38] <Cyber_Sword>** also need your battlenet names

 **[19:38] <Emrys>** Patch is gonna take a bit.

 **[19:38] <Cyber_Sword>** that’s fine, gives us time to prepare you

 **[19:39] <Emrys>** um...?

 **[19:39] <Cyber_Sword>** your whole rotation’s change mate

 **[19:39] <Cyber_Sword>** tell me your spec and i’ll tell you what you should change your hotkeys to

 **[19:39] <WILL>** Em you’re gonna lose your shit, an idiot could play wow now it’s literally faceroll

 

Merlin didn’t realise he was smiling until his lips started to chap. It was nice to know that even though he had a shit day at work, he could always come home to this.

%%%

Merlin went to sleep early Sunday night because he knew he’d hate waking up on Monday and being faced with the monster that was Arthur. He focused on nothing but his tasks as he performed them that morning, taking things one step at a time.

Shower. Shave. Brush. Dress. Tube. Breakfast.

And then suddenly he blinked and he was standing in the lift on his way up to the twenty-first floor. Ah, the benefits to life on autopilot.

Merlin’s stomach started clenching up in knots as he walked down the corridor to Arthur’s office, though. He told himself not to get worked up in a mood, to keep it professional, that Arthur hadn’t really meant all the things he’d said on Friday. Pretty much everything he’d been telling himself the whole weekend when he wasn’t busy distracting himself. He hoped Arthur was in a better mood today.

Merlin knocked once before entering Arthur’s office and setting the latte down as usual. He was nearly ready to leave when Arthur did what Merlin feared he’d do and stopped him.

“Merlin.”

Merlin swallowed. “Yes, Arthur?”

“I’m sorry for how I behaved on Friday,” he said, bringing his cup to his lips.

Merlin had to reiterate the statement back in his head a few times, and he still wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. Arthur was _apologising_?

Arthur looked up over the edge of the cup, giving Merlin a look that said ‘what haven’t you heard someone apologise before?’ Really, only Arthur could pull something like that off.

“I don’t understand,” Merlin said at last.

“I said I’m sorry for how I behaved on Friday,” Arthur repeated. “I wasn’t having the best day and the whole Kilgharrah virus thing put me on the edge,” he explained, waving a dismissive hand. “So I apologise for snapping at you and...whatever. You’re a decent PA, I suppose.”

Merlin gaped. “Where’s Arthur, what have you done with him?”

Arthur chuckled. “I _am_ human you know, Merlin,” he said, taking another sip of his latte. “I’d think you knew that, considering.”

Right. Considering.

 _Was it always this hot in here?_ Merlin wondered, shifting his weight.

Arthur shrugged and set his cup down as he licked his lips. “I just had a good weekend. And you had a point about my father retiring, though God knows how you found out. I do need someone competent and it’s true I asked for someone who was capable of being me.”

Merlin grinned. “Does that mean you saying I was right?”

“Merlin, you’re smart, but you’re not _that_ smart.”

But as Arthur said it, Merlin was about 77% certain that the glint in Arthur’s eye was meant to be flirtatious, even while he was semi-insulting him. Either Arthur was hoping for a good Monday night to top off the good weekend, or this was his way of trying to get thing back to normal between them.

Or—if Merlin was lucky—both.

“Now get out of my office and do something useful,” Arthur said, shooing him away.

Merlin waited until he’d turned around completely to let himself fully smile. Things _were_ back to normal between them then. It made him feel a bit warm and...content, but the kind of content that he could feel in his bones, down to his core. Things were as should be.

He felt even better when he got an email from Gwen just past eight o’clock.

 

 **From:** g.smith@penterprise.co.uk  
 **To:** m.ambrosius@penterprise.co.uk  
 **Subject:** BFFAEAE

Weekend was amazing, thanks again for the tickets! I will spare you the details, but know that I am forever in your debt ;)

 

%%%

If Monday was uncharacteristically pleasant, Tuesday was the exact opposite. In fact it was exponentially worse.

The Kilgharrah virus attacked two of Pendragon Enterprise’s major employers, Nemeth Banking and Deorham Loan Services.

One moment all was peaceful. Merlin was checking up on the usual things on Arthur’s to-do list, skimming over his schedule while waiting for Gwen to arrive with lunch, everything going smoothly. The next moment, a mob of people came barrelling out of the lift, making straight for Arthur’s door.

Merlin jumped up and quickly closed the door which was usually kept ajar before stretching his arms out in front of the entrance. Not a few seconds after, the yelling started.

Merlin couldn’t make out any individual words, but he had a feeling that the matter was urgent judging by the distraught expressions on their overworked faces. He’d never been assaulted by so many people before, and was beginning to sweat.

“Stop, stop, stop!” he shouted, waving his arms. “One at a time or none of you are seeing Arthur at all!”

Their voices dropped out one by one until finally they’d gone silent. Merlin took a deep breath and pointed to the one closest to him, a short stout man with a red face and beady black eyes.

“What’s the problem?” Merlin asked.

“Kilgharrah!”

%%%

Arthur was in a bad mood, but Merlin couldn’t tell precisely which kind. It wasn’t angry...Was it sad? Perhaps frustrated. Arthur didn’t seem exhausted like he had the first time Kilgharrah had attacked, the same night they’d had sex. So what kind of bad mood was Arthur in?

Merlin hoped it wasn’t the kind that resulted in yelling.

“What the hell is this?!” Uther demanded, gesturing to the open folders on the conference table.

“They’re contract files,” Arthur stated flatly.

“Don’t be facetious, Arthur!”

Merlin jumped when a hand came down and slapped the wood, and tried to sink further back into his seat. It was bad enough he had to be in a room with all three Pendragons at once—sitting next to one, sitting across from one, and being collectively yelled at by the head.

“It was under control—”

“It was a high-level virus that left thousands of people affected and two of our largest employers nearly in shambles.”

“I thought I had it contained.”

“Credit card numbers, addresses, national insurance numbers, account information, staff records—That’s just from the first attack on Mercia alone! And instead of bringing it to my attention you went to them personally?”

“I assumed you—”

“WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT ASSUMING?” Uther raged, slamming his hand down again. Even Arthur flinched that time. “We never assume things!”

“Father,” Morgana began, smiling, “I don’t think yelling is going to solve any of our problems. We should focus on what’s to be done with Nemeth and Deorham.”

Uther put his fingers to temples and took a deep breath. “Without Nemeth and Deorham, we’ll lose most of our funding. This is too big for anyone to handle alone. Arthur, I want a new team assembled for this specific virus.”

Arthur nodded. “Of course, Father.”

“Morgana, I want you in charge of handling the media. A security breach like this is going to cause an economic catastrophe and if we’re going to keep our reputation as the best in the world, we can’t afford to look like fools who’ve failed to do their job.”

Merlin felt the lash of Uther’s words as deep as Arthur must have. It was obvious who Uther meant had failed.

“If any other clients are thinking of pulling out, _don’t let them_ ,” he continued. “I don’t care what you have to promise. We’re not letting one virus take us down, am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Arthur, I want the names of the team by the end of tomorrow. You’re all dismissed.”

Merlin’s chair nearly fell over from how quickly he stood up to escape, and Gwen shot him a concerned yet amused look from her seat next to Morgana. But then he had to focus on keeping up with Arthur as he stormed out of the room, and gathered his things hurriedly.

“I want you to look at every programmer’s success rate,” Arthur instructed as they walked down the corridor toward the lift.

“Every programmer? Is that possible?”

“I don’t care if it’s not, just do it. I also want to know how long they’ve been here and which contracts they’re currently working on.”

“What about you?”

“What _about_ me?” Arthur echoed, pressing the down button.

Down button? Why weren’t they going up?

“What are you gonna do?” Merlin asked.

“I’m going to IT.”

“We have an IT? Wait, why do we even need one?”

“All institutions need an IT, Merlin, even this one. And the people there are bloody insane. That’s why we keep them in the basement.”

%%%

**** **< mobile_emrys>** joined #Legion

 **[13:24] <mobile_emrys>** knight

 **[13:24] <knightstalker>** yes dear?

 **[13:24] <mobile_emrys>** PM

 **[13:24] <knightstalker>** what’s going on?

 **[13:25] <mobile_emrys>** i have a job for you

 **[13:25] <mobile_emrys>** find out whatever you can about a virus named kilgharrah

 **[13:25] <knightstalker>** just between us?

 **[13:26] <mobile_emrys>** tell absolutely no one else

 **[13:26] <knightstalker>** not even will?

 **[13:27] <mobile_emrys>** there’s a reason why you’re my op knight, even though i started this with will

 **[13:27] <mobile_emrys>** will is good but he can be sloppy. i know i can trust you and i need you for this.

 **[13:28] <knightstalker>** am i allowed to ask what this is for?

 **[13:28] <mobile_emrys>** no

 **[13:28] <mobile_emrys>** if you want me to pay you i will

 **[13:29] <knightstalker>** why can’t you do it yourself?

 **[13:29] <mobile_emrys>** i’m too close to the situation and i’ll probably be kept busy enough

 **[13:30] <knightstalker>** we’ll talk about payment depending on what i find. not gonna charge you for something if it’s not worthwhile

 **[13:30] <mobile_emrys>** fair enough. thanks.

**< knightstalker> kisses Em**

**** **< mobile_emrys>** quit #Legion

 

Merlin felt a lot better after involving Knight, as though he had a plan of his own in case something else ended up going to shit. It was only after he had that in place that he felt comfortable enough to do the work Arthur had actually assigned him.

There was no possible way he could look at every programmer’s file as thoroughly as Arthur intended him to, so he didn’t try. He wrote a program to do it for him instead.

He spent most of the time at the office getting acquainted with the intranet’s database system. It’d be stupid to write a whole program that wasn’t compatible with the server. Once he figured out the variables, it was only a matter of constructing the code around them.

Success rate, date employed, current contract priority. Arthur hadn’t told him what he was looking for specifically, so Merlin didn’t hardcode it in, choosing instead to prompt for user input. Arthur could enter the variable himself (or, more likely, have Merlin do it) and the list of corresponding programmers would come up.

It was a simple enough concept that Merlin could code in his sleep, but it was the damn Pendragon database he was having trouble with.

“Merlin.”

Merlin didn’t bother looking up. He knew it was Arthur behind him, looking over his shoulder, but he was locked in now and he wasn’t going to be bothered.

“Merlin, what—”

“Don’t touch that,” he snapped, snatching back the paper Arthur’s hand had picked up.

“Is that an algorithm? What the hell are you—”

“Shut up.”

“Excuse me?”

Merlin put a hand to Arthur’s stomach, pushing him away. “Go _home_ already.”

“Do you wear glasses? You keep touching the bridge of your nose like you’re trying to push them up but there’s nothing there.”

Merlin banged his fists on the desk, making the keyboard jump. “For the love of God, _Arthur_!”

Arthur looked at him like he’d never seen him before, then put his hands up to show he was leaving it alone. Merlin sighed and straightened the keyboard, going back to work as Arthur walked away.

He stayed late that night, exiting the building only after Leon came and told him he had to. He saved everything to his memory stick one last time before finally going home.

He didn’t even bother logging into the IRC when he returned. He didn’t eat, not until his stomach growled at him angrily around ten at night. Even then he only ate a cup of yoghurt, which he expected was a week past expiration but didn’t much care.

He finally finished the program shortly after eating, and his brain was so exerted that he went straight to bed. He rarely fell asleep so quickly.

“Merlin.”

Arthur gave him a long, intense stare when Merlin set his latte down on the desk the next morning, but Merlin was still too knackered to be much bothered by it.

“Hmm?”

Arthur looked cautious, almost like he was afraid to ask. “Did you get the information I wanted?”

Here was the hard part—getting Arthur to understand.

Merlin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I, sort of...did something else instead.”

“As I’d guessed.”

“But what you asked me to do was impossible so I really had no other choice,” Merlin explained quickly.

“Merlin.”

“It’s easier if I just show you.”

Merlin walked around the desk to plug his memory stick into Arthur’s hard drive. Arthur squawked indignantly but, Merlin noticed, didn’t try to stop him, and it was only after Merlin was navigating to the folder that he realised the risk Arthur had taken letting him do such a thing. He could be uploading a keylogger for all Arthur knew, but Arthur had trusted him not to.

He hoped Arthur wasn’t so trustworthy of all his PAs, otherwise the future of Pendragon Enterprise wouldn’t be in very capable hands.

“Right, so, it’s a program that I’ve called ProFinder, because ProgrammerFinder sounds stupid, and basically it allows you to input whatever criteria you’re looking for and it’ll bring up a list of people who fit,” Merlin said as he launched the application.

He glanced over his shoulder at Arthur and found him staring blankly at the screen, which wasn’t exactly a _bad_ sign, so he continued.

“And, um, you didn’t really tell me what you were looking for, you just said to look at every programmer’s success rate, which is about as good as me handing over a list of employees for you to go over yourself—”

“Just show me what it does, Merlin.”

“Right, okay. Um, assuming you want someone whose current contract priority is low...” Merlin picked ‘low’ from the drop-down menu. “I guess we’ll say eighty percent success rate since anyone below that is probably incompetent.” He selected 80% from _that_ drop-down menu. “And for date employed we’ll just go with a minimum of three years.”

After choosing three years, Merlin clicked the ‘FIND’ button, and stepped back while the program loaded.

Twenty-three different staff profiles came up.

“Merlin.”

Merlin swallowed and tried to judge Arthur’s tone and expression. “Yes?”

“How did you do this?”

“Er, well, it’s really just a simple—”

“No, no, not that,” Arthur interrupted, waving a hand. “The interface and coding part I understand, that’s straightforward. How did you get access to their personal records?”

Merlin froze under the sudden weight of Arthur’s gaze, and felt his armpits start to sweat a bit uncomfortably.

“I connected it to the intranet,” he murmured. “Is that bad?”

Arthur sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his brow furrowing. “Is it able to access the intranet from outside the building?”

“No! No, not at all, you have to be connected through a company computer.”

“If this gets in the wrong hands, Merlin—”

“We’ll destroy it after the one use then! I’ve worked for days on programs before that I’ve never used again, so I really don’t mind. As long as it’s useful once—”

“It’s too good to destroy after one use.”

Merlin gaped. “What?”

Arthur put his chin in his hand and looked forward at the screen. “The reusability value is...well, as long as this stays on a portable drive, it might be worth the risk.”

“So...?”

“So I’ve found a bloke from IT who’s good with network and server admin and now I need someone adept at creating antiviruses. Which of these twenty-three men do you want to speak to first?”

%%%

 **From:** m.ambrosius@penterprise.co.uk  
 **To:** l.dulac@penterprise.co.uk; g.hobbes@penterprise.co.uk; q.pellinore@penterprise.co.uk; g.freeman@penterprise.co.uk  
 **Subject:** Calendar Update

As a reminder, a meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday 13 April 2016, at 0830 in the 18th floor conference room. Due to the nature of this meeting, failure to attend may result in disciplinary action.

Mr Pendragon asks that Gwaine Freeman arrive ten minutes early in order to be punctual.

Thank you.

\- Merlin Ambrosius

 

Of all the faces in the room, Merlin was only familiar with Arthur’s and Lancelot’s. Lancelot was different in person, his hair a bit longer than the photo displayed on his intranet profile and his eyes much more intense. Merlin could definitely see why Gwen had made such a big deal about him.

The other faces—Geraint Hobbes, Quentin Pellinore, and Gwaine Freeman—were entirely new.

“Alright gentlemen, thank you all for coming. Now that you’ve all had a moment to look over the previous reports of the virus, let’s get started right away,” Arthur began. “I’ve taken each of you off your assigned projects for this because I want absolutely nothing distracting you. We’ve already lost enough time. Kilgharrah has caused major breaches in Mercia, Gawant Media, Nemeth Banking, and Deorham Loans, and Pendragon Enterprise is being scrutinised about its security capability in the headlines as we speak. There’s been a great amount of data lost and even more compromised so the first thing we need to do is figure out a temporary fix for that.”

“Question,” Geraint said, raising a wary finger.

Merlin went through the piles of information he had stored in his head, quickly scanning for what he’d learnt about the man.

_Geraint Hobbes. Third year employee. Eighty-seven percent success rate. Specialises in firewalls._

Arthur quirked a brow, clearly displeased with being interrupted. “What.”

“How exactly did the virus get in?”

“It was downloaded from an email attachment, which you’d know if you read the file that’s been in front of you for the past ten minutes. Anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. Now, there’s not much we can do about the lost data, but we can work on upgrading client anti-virus systems in the meantime—”

“ _All_ of them?” Gwaine asked incredulously.

“Yes, all of them. That’ll be Quentin’s job.”

Merlin noticed Quentin flinch when his name had been said, and Geraint snorted just faintly. What had that been about?

“It’ll be as simple as programming an update to the Pendragon Anti-virus software, which downloads automatically if the client has it installed correctly,” Arthur continued. “That’s why Quentin’s on it. I need the rest of you for specialised positions.”

Specialised positions. Like Gwaine, the server admin, and Lance, the creator of anti-viruses. Quentin could do a bit of everything, but excelled at nothing. The move made sense to Merlin.

“What about Merlin?” Gwaine asked, nodding in Merlin’s direction.

Merlin blinked. “Sorry, what?”

“What _about_ him?” Arthur echoed.

“What’ll he be doing?”

Arthur looked at Gwaine as though the answer was obvious, which even Merlin thought it should have been.

“Merlin will oversee the minor contracts while we’re focused on the Kilgharrah project.”

“All of them?”

Merlin snorted, then quickly tried to disguise it with a cough. Arthur shot him a look, but his eyes seemed amused as well.

“Don’t worry about Merlin,” Arthur said, turning back to address the table. “If I wasn’t sure of his ability to get the job done, then I wouldn’t’ve put him on it.”

Honestly, the only task Merlin expected to have any issues with was Gwaine’s, and that was only because he worked all the way down in IT. Everything else would be ridiculously easy, and Merlin had to admit he looked forward to possibly getting a foothold of his own into each of the clients. Or at least do a bit of digging to see if they had anything interesting.

Obviously he wouldn’t do anything to further damage the reputation of the great Pendragon Enterprise, best computer security company in the world. No, he just wanted to gain access because he _could_. That in itself was a brilliant feeling.

Gwaine shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

With a nod, Arthur went on. “As I said, the update for the clients is a temporary fix and there’s little we can do to retrieve lost data. Lancelot will be in charge of creating the anti-virus. Gwaine, you’ll be monitoring and scanning networks, anything that’ll help set up a trace or protect the next target. Geraint is on firewalls, encryption codes, passwords. The two of you will make sure we have as many ports as possible protected, zero chance of anything being cracked or exploited. The second—the _second_ —an unauthorised party tries to gain access to any server under Pendragon contract, I want to be notified.”

“And you?”

It was the first time Lance had spoken during the meeting. Merlin had almost given up hearing the man’s voice at all up until that point.

“If I may be so bold to ask, that is,” he said at Arthur’s hitched eyebrow. “I’m certain I can come up with a suitable program on my own, but if I do run into trouble—”

“Don’t hesitate to ask,” Arthur interjected, nodding. “Of course if you have any problems then come to me. For the sake of efficiency, don’t waste time trying to figure something out yourself if you’re unsure. The more eyes that look at a problem, the better. I’ve given none of you so much work that it’ll take up your entire work day—I fully expect communication and a sharing of duties. You’re all capable and well-rounded men.”

Arthur had actually sounded inspiring. Looking around at the others at the table, Merlin saw that they were indeed inspired. Even Gwaine, who Merlin had pinned as decidedly lackadaisical, seemed eager to put in a good effort.

“Now, as far as relocation goes,” Arthur said, crossing his arms on the table. “You’ll all be moved to the fourteenth floor to work in a set of adjoined offices for the duration of the project. Bring anything you need from your personal work station. It’ll just be the five of us in there most of the time, working on a private server, and there’s white-boards and table space where we can spread out. I’ll try to be in there as much as I can, but if I’m ever out and you need something then call my work number.”

“Really?” Gwaine asked, wide-eyed.

Arthur chuckled. “Yes, Gwaine, really. Don’t make me regret that decision.” He stood up, and Merlin stood with him, letting the others know they could as well. “Go back to your desks, finish up whatever you’re working on, get your things in order, and meet me back here at eleven. We’ll all go up to the room together, get set up, and after lunch, we’ll begin. Any questions?”

There was a collective shake of heads throughout the room.

“Great. See you all in a few hours.”

Merlin hung back with Arthur as they exited, and lowered his voice to speak privately, even though they were now alone in the room.

“I think Quentin goes by another name,” he said.

Arthur gave him a curious look. “What are you talking about?”

“Quentin Pellinore. He cringed every time you said his name, and Geraint snickered the first time. I think he goes by something else.”

“Why the hell do you think I care?”

“ _Arthur_ ,” Merlin insisted. “I don’t know much about people, but I think you should at least try to care.”

Arthur sighed. “Merlin, it doesn’t matter what I call him, that doesn’t have any effect on the job—”

“Try calling him by his last name. Maybe he’s the type that hates his first name.”

“Merlin!”

“What?”

“What the hell are you getting at?”

Merlin took a deep breath and looked Arthur straight in the eye. “If you’re going to be head of the company, you need to learn how to relate to the people who work for you. Not everyone is going to take your shit the same way I do.”

Arthur snorted and brushed past Merlin toward the door. Merlin didn’t know what made him do it, but suddenly the words were falling out of his mouth.

“And you sure won’t be able to sleep with _everyone_ to get them to like you.”

Merlin cursed himself the instant Arthur’s froze at the exit, mentally screaming that he was a social idiot and should just never leave the house again. But when Arthur turned around, his expression wasn’t nearly as angry as Merlin feared it would be. It was puzzled, curious, and maybe a slight bit annoyed.

“I don’t sleep with people to get them to like me, Merlin,” he said, his voice so low and calm that it frightened Merlin more than if he’d yelled. “I know how to be pleasant when I need to be, I’m a businessman, for God’s sake. If I sleep with someone, it’s because I want to.”

Merlin bit his lip and dropped his eyes, unable to hold Arthur’s gaze. “You didn’t answer Lance’s question.”

“And what question was that?”

“What you plan to do while they’re busy with their assigned positions.”

Arthur shrugged and turned back toward the door, pushing it open. “I’m working on a back-up plan.”

%%%

Merlin longed to know what was going on with the anti-virus team but was so inundated with work that he had no time. All he knew was what Arthur told him.

When he got home every night, he spent the too-few hours before bed playing WoW with Will, and Cyber if he was on. He felt like he was trying to balance everyone’s work except his own.

By the time Friday came around, Merlin had never been more thankful for the weekend. He walked into Arthur’s office just past half five and slumped onto the sofa across from Arthur’s desk, staring at the back of the monitor that blocked his view of the man himself.

“Merlin,” Arthur intoned over the sound of clicking keys.

“You’re done for the day, aren’t you?” Merlin asked. He tried to sound as bored as he could, even picked at a hangnail on his finger to top it off.

And he knew that Arthur _was_ done for the day. He was personally in charge of Arthur’s schedule.

“There’s something I have to finish, but yes, I am.”

Arthur’s head appeared to the left of the monitor, and he pinned Merlin with a questioning look. Merlin saw his eyes look him up and down, taking in the relaxed way he sat with his legs open and the fact that he was wearing his jacket already, prepared to leave.

“Why?”

“Was just thinking we’d leave together today,” Merlin said with a shrug. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he thought the suggestion had come out fairly confidently. “It’s been a stressful week, is all. If you don’t want to, then—”

“Just give me a couple minutes.”

“Really?”

The question was out before Merlin could stop himself. But he hadn’t expected Arthur to agree, let alone so easily. He’d expected Arthur to say he needed to focus, to remain alert and ready for the next threat.

“Yes, really,” Arthur replied, chuckling a little. “I do think we could both use it. And it _is_ Friday.”

“Uh, yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

Merlin winced at the “uh” that had slipped.

“So if you start heading for my car now, I’ll probably be right behind you,” Arthur said, returning to the keyboard.

Merlin blinked, then got up. “Right. Okay.”

He turned to leave before he could say something stupid.

He was surprised when Arthur’s door unlocked with a beeping noise as soon as he was within reach. Twisting his neck to look over his shoulder, he saw Arthur was indeed right behind him, grinning smugly.

“Told you,” he said, walking past Merlin to get in. “Just had to finish sending an email. Come on.”

Merlin slid into the passenger seat just as the engine roared to life. He’d forgotten how much he loathed Arthur’s car—it wasn’t just the way it advertised Arthur’s wealth, but also the way Arthur seemed to find such satisfaction in it. It made Arthur appear less like a sophisticated businessman and more like the spoilt brat he must have been growing up.

Though Merlin supposed everyone had their toys. He tried not to let it bother him too much.

Uncomfortable in the silence, Merlin turned the radio on. For once, the universe smiled upon him, because a song he actually liked was already playing.

It wasn’t too far to Arthur’s flat, but traffic made the trip drag on. It was when they were idling at a traffic signal that Arthur spoke up.

“Are you _singing_?”

Merlin abruptly closed his mouth, horrified to find that, perhaps, maybe, he might have been singing to himself, just softly along with the music. If he was going to be honest, he’d completely forgotten Arthur was there—he was so used to being alone.

“I...Maybe. Sorry.”

Arthur shrugged, and Merlin couldn’t tell from his current angle if Arthur was smirking or just grinning, amused. “’S fine. It’d be a problem if you were actually, you know, terrible.”

“Was that a backwards compliment?”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘litotes.’”

“What?”

Arthur shook his head. “Nothing.”

Merlin pulled out his mobile, just to check. He wasn’t sure how to spell litotes, but Google knew what he meant anyway.

Arthur burst into laughter beside him. “Did you seriously just look that up?”

Merlin hid his screen against his chest, but didn’t deny it. “Yes.”

“Well at least you’re resourceful.”

“I am. It’s on my CV. You would know.”

It wasn’t long after that that they passed the street Merlin’s building was on, so Merlin knew they were close. A few streets more and then they were there.

Merlin wasn’t sure how to act, because it wasn’t like last time where they were both eager to take each other apart. Things seemed calmer now, and in some ways that was more anxiety-inducing than anything else. Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin when Arthur’s hand slid into his as they went up in the lift.

But Arthur didn’t say anything. He simply stood a bit closer, threading their fingers together in a display of gentility that Merlin never would’ve associated with the man had it not been happening at that moment. It worked in getting Merlin to breathe easier, to calm his nerves now that Arthur was taking the lead.

Their hands stayed entwined all the way to the door of Arthur’s flat, all the way to Arthur’s bedroom. It was only when Arthur reached up to take off his tie that he finally released his hold on Merlin’s hand.

Merlin had got down to just his trousers and was undoing his belt when Arthur suddenly kissed him, quick and forceful, as though he couldn’t hold himself back another second. A hand clutched the skin of Merlin’s side, grabbing him and pulling him closer, and Merlin let himself be drawn in, pressed his body to Arthur’s and exhaled contentedly at the feeling of such solid warmth.

The push backward onto the bed didn’t feel as though it was meant to be rough, just a means of getting Merlin onto his back. Not two seconds later, Arthur was over him, leaning down to kiss him thoroughly, tongue delving its way inside with the same fluid motions of his hips rolling forward. Merlin dug his heels into the bed and arched up with a moan, gripping the thin fabric of Arthur’s pants with curled fingers.

He knew what Arthur was doing when Arthur didn’t immediately move down to take off the last bit of clothing, Merlin’s trousers and his own pants. He knew from the way Arthur was rocking into him, grinding down onto him with languid movements of his hips that Arthur was trying to drive him wild now, testing the limits of his body. It made everything so much better somehow, to be poked and prodded at, to have Arthur go agonisingly slowly in an attempt to get him to beg. It meant that Arthur wasn’t just in it for a quick fuck, but for something meaningful, something passionate and maybe a bit desperate.

Merlin was just about near as much as he could take when his hands slid down to Arthur’s arse, cupping them in his hands and squeezing. He felt the hitch of Arthur’s breath interrupting the kiss, felt the little nip and suck to his bottom lip as Arthur moaned appreciatively. He couldn’t take anymore teasing, he was so _hard_ , so ready for Arthur to just _get inside him already_.

“Arthur,” he sighed, tilting his head back to bare his throat. “Just—Come on.”

Arthur exhaled into Merlin’s neck, caressing tender skin with nose, then pulled back to rummage through the nightstand beside the bed. Merlin reached down to finally shove his trousers and pants off, wriggling under the arch of Arthur’s parted knees.

“Turn over,” Arthur said.

He pulled off his pants as well while Merlin flipped onto his stomach and pushed his arse in the air. Arthur hadn’t done this the last time, hadn’t been so thorough with the preparation. It made Merlin sweat just a bit, made him harden when he felt the first lubed finger pulling at his rim.

 _Arthur_ , Merlin thought. He suddenly couldn’t stop saying the name in his head. _Arthur, Arthur, Arthur_.

Sliding in, Arthur was careful, gentle. Merlin knew he would be; the handholding and slow buildup might’ve been a surprise, but Merlin knew enough of Arthur to know how he’d be when it came to this. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, relaxing every muscle in his body as he felt Arthur feed inch after glorious inch further and further into him.

It had gone so slowly that it didn’t even hurt when Arthur bottomed out. It ached a bit when Arthur pulled back, retreated just enough to push back in the first time, but not for long. Arthur knew what he was doing, knew he wouldn’t hurt Merlin, and Merlin trusted him enough to let Arthur do whatever he wanted with his body at this point. He reached back to grab hold of Arthur’s thigh, and whined impatiently, wordlessly asking Arthur to get on with it.

Arthur did, but not before sliding a pillow under Merlin’s hips, giving him something to rut into. Merlin instantly appreciated the action, especially when Arthur lost no time pumping in and out of him after that. Merlin twisted the fingers of his free hand in the duvet, taking a bit of it between his teeth to stifle the moans as Arthur thrust harder.

God, it was so much better with Arthur giving it to him, so much better than riding him as he had before. He could feel the force behind every push, the huffs and grunts coming from above as Arthur exerted himself. He could feel his cock rubbing against the pillow beneath him with every shunt forward, and the heat of Arthur’s body all around him.

 _Arthur, Arthur, Arthur_.

He knew Arthur was close when Arthur sped up. The thrusts were frantic, the huffs of air turning to needy gasps, and it didn’t matter how much Merlin bit down, he couldn’t hold back his cries of pleasure. He buried his face in the mattress to drown out the sound, to keep from embarrassing himself too much, and that helped at least a little, allowed him to wail as much as he needed until he finally fell over the edge of climax and came.

Merlin wasn’t sure if Arthur had come as well until he felt Arthur’s forehead between his shoulderblades, Arthur’s heavy breathing on his sweaty back. When Arthur slid out, as slow and careful as he’d slid in, Merlin had never felt so satisfied. He suddenly hoped he never had to find another job anywhere else, if only so he could keep having this.

He was about to make himself get up and go when Arthur’s arm pulled him closer, moving him—thankfully—away from the soiled pillow underneath and into an embrace. Merlin was content for a few seconds, until he realised Arthur was _cuddling_ him.

“Arthur—”

“Don’t go yet,” Arthur said with a sigh. Merlin turned his head and saw Arthur’s eyes were closed, his face relaxed and peaceful.

Well. Merlin hadn’t really wanted to leave right then anyway. He was quite comfortable where he was, in fact. He closed his eyes as well, and let himself enjoy the quiet comfort of Arthur’s warm bed.


	3. #17

Merlin awoke in the middle of the night. Arthur had apparently decided it was too hot to sleep curled up with him, and had rolled over onto his side. Merlin rubbed his eyes and slid out of bed.

“Merlin?”

Merlin didn’t stop moving until he had his pants in his hand, ready for his legs to slip into.

“Yeah, it’s fine, just go back to sleep,” Merlin whispered.

Behind him, the sheets rustled as Arthur sleepily sat up. “How’re you getting home?”

“I live just a few streets over, it’s not a far walk.” Merlin did up his trousers and fastened his belt, then reached down for his shirt.

“Wait, really? You can afford those?”

Merlin chuckled. “Yes, Arthur, I don’t know why you’re surprised, it’s not like you don’t have my address.”

“I never really put the two together...”

Merlin looked around for his tie and found it nearly hidden under the bed. He picked it up and shook the dust off, then stuffed it in his pocket before stepping into his shoes.

“Go back to sleep, Arthur,” he said, looking behind him as he tied the strings. “We both know you need the rest.”

Arthur looked disappointed, almost sad. It was endearing, in a way, how his hair was sleep-ruffled and lips pouted petulantly.

“You need the rest too, you’ve been killing yourself with work. Why don’t you just stay ‘til morning? It’s stupid to leave now.”

Merlin finished tying his shoes and stood up slowly. He wasn’t sure how to say it, and he was certain that it was just the sleep that was making Arthur ask at all.

It wouldn’t be stupid to leave now. It’d be more stupid to leave in the morning, to wake up in broad daylight next to Arthur and have to wade through the awkwardness of leaving then.

Merlin couldn’t help smiling at least a little, though, smiling at the man who was bathed in moonlight and was as beautiful as ever. He wanted to get back into bed, to crawl beside the Arthur who looked soft and warm and all too inviting, but he knew such a thing wasn’t prudent.

“Good night, Arthur.”

Arthur’s brows drew closer together as he frowned, exhaling in a heavy sigh. But he didn’t object when Merlin turned to go.

“Bye, Merlin.”

%%%

The next time Merlin woke up, he was in his own bed, and the sun was trying to get in past his navy blue curtains. He stared ahead at the blinking lights of his various electronics, remembering the previous night in a daze.

Then he yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His clock said it was nearly noon. He might as well get up.

 

**** ** <Emrys>** is back from away.

 **[11:47] <Emrys>** Morning.

 **[11:47] <Null_Impact>** hey

 **[11:47] <Cyber_Sword>** morning.

 **[11:48] <knightstalker>** Em!

 **< knightstalker>** **pounces on Em and purrs.**

 **[11:48] <Emrys>** So fucking glad it’s Saturday.

 **[11:48] <Emrys>** How’s it going?

**< Emrys> pets Knight.**

**[11:48] <Null_Impact>** good

 **[11:49] <Cyber_Sword>** Not bad.

 **[11:49] <Cyber_Sword>** I’m also glad it’s Saturday, felt like my week was never going to end.

 **[11:49] <Emrys>** Ugh, I know, I had a decent Monday but then the week went to shit.

 **[11:50] <Emrys>** Think I’m gonna distract myself today though, do something productive for once.

 **[11:50] <Emrys>** Find anything on that thing I asked you about Knight?

 **[11:51] <knightstalker>** no :( just what the news is saying about it

 **[11:51] <Emrys>** Hmm. This may call for a field trip then...

 **[11:51] <Null_Impact>** hey wait what’s going on now?

 **[11:51] <Emrys>** I asked Knight to look into something for me, don’t worry about it.

 **[11:52] <Cyber_Sword>** because that’s not dodgy at all

 

Merlin sighed and put his chin in his hand. He supposed he could tell them. It was mainly Will and Mord that he was worried about finding out—Will, because he’d no doubt want to be part of it, and Mord, because Merlin wasn’t sure how he’d react. He was always too keen to jump into things and on top of that, had a burning hatred for Pendragon Enterprise.

 

 **[11:52] <Emrys>** You’ve all heard of the Kilgharrah virus, I assume?

 **[11:53] <Null_Impact>** oh, yeah

 **[11:53] <Cyber_Sword>** Yeah

 **[11:53] <Cyber_Sword>** Rather impressive, actually. What about it?

 **[11:54] <Emrys>** Well I suppose I just better ask first

 **[11:54] <Emrys>** None of you wrote it, right?

 **[11:54] <Null_Impact>** ha! i wish.

 **[11:54] <Cyber_Sword>** ^

 **[11:55] <Emrys>** OK, well, idk how much it impacted you in NZ Null, and I still don’t know where you live Cyber, but in the UK it’s kind of fucked up everything.

 **[11:55] <Emrys>** And by everything I mean the economy, it’s a fucking disaster okay

 **[11:56] <Null_Impact>** yeah i heard...shit

 **[11:56] <Cyber_Sword>** I’m in the UK, I agree...disaster

**< Cyber_Sword> sighs.**

**[11:56] <Emrys>** Yeah well I figured I’d fuck around on my computer trying to write an anti-virus.

 **[11:57] <knightstalker>** isn’t that pendragon business?

 **[11:57] <Null_Impact>** ^

 **[11:57] <Cyber_Sword>** ^^

 **[11:57] <knightstalker>** why would you want to help them anyway? the kilgharrah virus is killing them and that’s good for us right?

 **[11:58] <Emrys>** The enemy of my enemy is my friend, etc. etc.

 **[11:58] <Emrys>** And no, it’s really not good for us. Pendragon is a necessary evil. If hackers were allowed to run wild, imagine the chaos.

 **[11:59] <Null_Impact>** true...

 **[11:59] <Emrys>** Only those intelligent to outsmart them should be allowed to make it.

 **[11:59] <Emrys>** imo anyway.

 **[12:00] <Cyber_Sword>** a world of intelligent criminals is better than one overrun with them

 **[12:00] <Cyber_Sword>** survival of the fittest. makes sense to me

**< Emrys> nods.**

**[12:00] <Cyber_Sword>** But wouldn’t Pendragon already be working on an anti-virus? Why take the time to write it yourself?

 **[12:01] <knightstalker>** emrys likes a challenge ;)

 **[12:01] <knightstalker>** cheeky bugger

 **[12:01] <Null_Impact>** lol knight what have we said about you trying to be british

 **[12:02] <knightstalker>** oi!

 **[12:02] <Emrys>** Lol, that too Knight.

 **[12:02] <Emrys>** But also because an antivirus is really just a benevolent virus meant to target files with a certain filename and extension, yeah? Who better to write it than one of the hackers?

 **[12:03] <Cyber_Sword>** you’re seriously going to help them?

 **[12:03] <Emrys>** Do you have a problem with that?

 **[12:03] <Cyber_Sword>** No

 **[12:03] <Emrys>** Great :)

 **[12:04] <Cyber_Sword>** How long do you think it’ll take?

 **[12:04] <Emrys>** Why?

 **[12:04] <Cyber_Sword>** Well

 **[12:04] <Cyber_Sword>** remember how I said after I went offline I went out and “got a real job” ?

 **[12:05] <Emrys>** Yeah

 **[12:05] <Cyber_Sword>** The company I ended up working for was under Pendragon protection.

 **[12:05] <Emrys>** :(

 **[12:05] <Cyber_Sword>** and if that wasn’t bad enough they also used Nemeth Banking, so.

 **[12:06] <Emrys>** jesus

 **[12:06] <Null_Impact>** ouch

 **[12:06] <Cyber_Sword>** Yeah...

 **[12:07] <Emrys>** Are you okay? Do you need money or something?

 **[12:07] <Cyber_Sword>** You would do that?

 **[12:07] <knightstalker>** he’s sent money to me before :3

 **[12:07] <Emrys>** Of course I would, and I have before.

 **[12:07] <Emrys>** Yeah, what Knight said.

 **[12:07] <Emrys>** I’d do it for anyone in the clan.

 **[12:08] <Cyber_Sword>** Wow

 **[12:08] <Cyber_Sword>** I’ good for the moment but I might be in a bit of a financial situation soon, which is why i was wondering how long it’d take

 **[12:08] <Emrys>** you sure?

 **[12:09] <Cyber_Sword>** Yeah, thanks but no thanks, and all that.

 **[12:09] <Cyber_Sword>** I just hope either you or pendragon works out the antivirus and manages to fix this mess

 **[12:09] <Emrys>** Yeah Pendragon sure does take their sweet time getting things done, don’t they

 **[12:10] <Emrys>** Probably all the formal documentation and legalities they have to deal with that slows things down

 **[12:10] <Cyber_Sword>** I can imagine how that’d be a pain yeah

 **[12:10] <Emrys>** Alright, I’m off then.

 **[12:10] <Emrys>** Field trip time :)

 **[12:11] <Cyber_Sword>** Bye

 **[12:11] <knightstalker>** have fun my love o/

 **[12:11] <knightstalker>** ♥ ♥

 **[12:11] <Emrys>** <3

****** <Emrys> is away (Away) ******

 

Merlin twisted his spine to pop the bones in his back before standing up. He had a quick breakfast of cereal and orange juice, brushed his teeth and didn’t bother with a shower, then went back to his room to pack up his laptop and get dressed. An hour hadn’t even passed by the time he was walking out of his flat with his bag slung over his shoulder, pushing his glasses up before they could slide down his nose.

He couldn’t help smiling as he rode the lift down, music playing in his headphones. He hadn’t gone out to do something like this properly in much too long, and had missed the thrill of it. He hummed along to the song in his ears as he walked to the tube station, heading for Nemeth Banking.

%%%

The bench across the street from Nemeth Banking was under a conveniently located tree, but even so, Merlin put his hood up to help shield the screen of his computer. He didn’t trust anyone out here like this, and there could be cameras anywhere. The last thing he needed was to get caught while actually trying to do something good.

Hacking into Nemeth’s server wasn’t as simple as it might’ve been before the Kilgharrah virus hit, but Merlin had knowledge that others didn’t—he knew the setup of Nemeth’s network, and he was fairly certain one of the computers in his zombie army was on their system.

Scanning the list of computers infected with the EmWorm, Merlin was pleased to see one of them was indeed linked to Nemeth’s servers, and even more pleased to see that Pendragon’s updated anti-virus software hadn’t managed to detect it. From there it was simply a matter of connecting to the server remotely through the infected user’s computer.

No exploit needed. It was almost laughable.

(And Merlin did actually giggle. Just a bit.)

Now that he was in, he started looking around. He needed to see the damage for himself, see what Kilgharrah was capable of. But of course all traces of the virus had been cleansed out of their system by now, as much lost data as possible retrieved.

So there was no way to see the aftermath, but he _could_ take a look into the eye of the storm.

It had originated from an email. Merlin went through email account after email account, searching spam and bin folders for anything suspicious, anything that might now be flagged as dangerous. He hated this part of hacking, the tedious part that he couldn’t just write a program for, and the bench was none too kind on his arse, but there wasn’t a shortcut, not for this.

And then he found it.

Some idiot John Doe type bloke had deleted it and sent it to the bin, but hadn’t deleted it premanently. Merlin hovered his finger over the download button, holding his breath, but even he couldn’t write a program that would execute as soon as it was downloaded. It had to be opened and run first.

So he clicked.

He felt dirty just having it on his laptop, and frowned at the screen as he opened it up in Notepad. It took a few seconds to load, and when it did, Merlin wanted to scream. He wanted to throw his laptop into the street.

The code was fucking encrypted.

But of course it was. Why wouldn’t it be? He would’ve done it. He’d been so close to getting a look under the hood, and now he was back where he started.

He just needed to find another way to see what Kilgharrah was capable of.

%%%

Now Merlin was sitting in a park. It was nearly four in the afternoon by this point, and he had two hundred quid less in his wallet, but hopefully it was worth it.

He’d bought a laptop, one of those mini notebooks that could do basically nothing but open the internet. But he wasn’t on the internet now; he wasn’t on any network at all. He’d even turned his original laptop off because he didn’t want to risk it. He just wanted to let Kilgharrah loose on this piece of shit laptop, and watch it explode. Which, coincidentally, was exactly what it did.

Not exactly, but more or less. It replicated and spread, made a thousand and one windows pop up that he couldn’t click out of, deleted the pre-existing files and corrupted others. Eventually the whole screen just went blue and did nothing.

Merlin had a feeling that he could restart the hard drive as many times as he wanted and he’d still get nothing but a blue screen. But at least now he knew what the virus did. Now it was just a matter of stepping backwards through the code.

Merlin shut off the laptop and stood up, brushing the grass and dirt from the seat of his jeans. He thought about just leaving the useless laptop there on the ground, but figured the least he could do is carry with him until he saw some homeless person. Maybe they’d be able to sell it for something, broken as it was.

He was just bending down to pick it up for that exact purpose when his phone started buzzing in his pocket. Sighing, Merlin grabbed the laptop and straightened back up before answering. He hardly ever received any calls, so it was really only two people who it might’ve been. His mum, and...

“Hey, Arthur.”

“Hey. Are you busy tonight?”

Merlin folded the laptop under his arm as he headed for the tube station. “Depends, do you need something? Is it work-related?”

There was a pause before Arthur answered, long enough to make Merlin question why he’d asked in the first place.

“Not really, no,” Arthur said.

“Well, I actually am a bit busy tonight. Whatever it is, can it wait?”

“It...Yeah. Okay.”

That was odd. Arthur sounded almost dejected. Crestfallen.

 _He fancies you,_ Morgana had said.

Merlin pushed the thought away. It was stupid, and either way, Arthur Pendragon wasn’t capable of fancying anything, let alone someone as hopelessly awkward as Merlin.

“Another time, yeah?” Merlin said.

“Yeah. Bye.”

Merlin hung up not knowing what to think, but he couldn’t focus on it now. Now he had to focus on creating the anti-virus.

%%%

Back home, Merlin was in the IRC without really being in the IRC. He’d been working on the anti-virus for hours on his laptop while running chat and streaming music on his desktop. He was dimly aware of things going on outside of the code, but he wasn’t paying anything else much attention. Not until his desktop made the sound to notify him of a private message from the chat window. That was when Merlin realised it’d somehow become one in the morning.

Merlin pushed his glasses up enough to rub his eyes, then put his laptop aside to address the message.

 

 **[01:11] <Cyber_Sword>** How’s the work going?

 **[01:11] <Cyber_Sword>** You’ve been lurking for ages

 **[01:13] <Emrys>** Frustrating for the most part

 **[01:13] <Emrys>** I’ll probably take a break soon, I should eat something eventually

 **[01:13] <Emrys>** What are you up to?

 **[01:14] <Cyber_Sword>** honestly i’m watching porn

 **[01:14] <Emrys>** lol oh

 **[01:14] <Cyber_Sword>** I can’t even remember the last time I watched porn. i’m just glad i uploaded all my videos onto google so they weren’t lost

 **[01:15] <Emrys>** I’ve watched so much that i’ve become desensitised to it tbh, it’s quite sad

 **[01:15] <Cyber_Sword>** You said you’re into everything right?

 **[01:15] <Emrys>** Yep

 **[01:16] <Cyber_Sword>** try this since you’re taking a break <http://bit.ly/1o6LIdT>

 **[01:16] <Cyber_Sword>** If you’re desensitised to this I’ll be impressed

 **[01:16] <Emrys>** I’m a little afraid to click that

 **[01:16] <Cyber_Sword>** just do it, i wouldn’t give you a bad link

 **[01:17] <Cyber_Sword>** I said it was on google, didn’t i? it’s fine

 **< Emrys>** **hesitantly clicks...**

 

Merlin clicked the link and was relieved that it was indeed on Google, though he supposed he should’ve put a bit more trust into his fellow clan member, considering the amount of time they’d spent playing WoW together by now. Maybe it was a little childish and fangirlish, but a sort of thrill went through him knowing he was watching the same porn as Cyber Sword, his hacking _idol_. He never thought he’d see the day.

Then he started the video and it was a whole other type of thrill going through him. It was just some bloke rimming the other at first, but then— _then_ —it got interesting. They started to fuck, and Merlin had a hand gripping his cock through his pants before he knew what he was doing. The moaning might’ve been a bit exaggerated but even so, the sound of it made Merlin stiffen even more.

It was hard, fast, rough, everything Merlin liked in a fuck and the bottom was so obviously enjoying it that Merlin couldn’t help but remember when Arthur had fucked him much the same way the previous night. He’d pushed deep, made Merlin wail, and now Merlin couldn’t look away from the screen. He wanted Arthur again, right this second, anyone really, anyone to pound him into the mattress like the twink in that fucking video.

Like all porn videos, it was over too soon, and Merlin had only managed to shove his pants down just before it ended. He saw the IRC tab blinking at the top of screen, and switched back to see what Cyber had said this time.

 

 **[01:25] <Cyber_Sword>** So...?

 **[01:25] <Emrys>** I might not be as desensitised as I thought

 **[01:26] <Cyber_Sword>** ha

 **[01:26] <Emrys>** In all fairness it’s been a while since i’ve watched porn though. we’re talking months

 **[01:26] <Cyber_Sword>** Or maybe the video is just that good

 **[01:26] <Emrys>** Hmm you are really promoting this video...one would almost think you’re one of the blokes starring in it...

 **[01:27] <Cyber_Sword>** lol no, sorry

 **[01:27] <Cyber_Sword>** but this one’s good too <http://bit.ly/1o6MNm3>

 **[01:27] <Cyber_Sword>** skip to 12:46 though, the beginning is slow

 **[01:27] <Emrys>** k

 

This time, Merlin was only too happy to follow the link. He needed to finish, and fast. He separated the tab to have both windows open, the video on the left and Cyber’s chat on the right, took a moment to chuckle at the title, then skipped ahead to the time.

His jaw dropped. “Oh my fuck!”

Two cocks were shoved into one stretched arse, and at first Merlin winced, certain that what he was watching had to hurt something awful, but then he stared, mesmerised.

 

 **[01:28] <Emrys>** OMG

 **[01:28] <Cyber_Sword>** yeah

 **[01:29] <Emrys>** I didn’t think that was actually possible???

 **[01:29] <Cyber_Sword>** it is, just takes loads of prep

 **[01:29] <Cyber_Sword>** I’ve tried it with two dildos but it’s tricky to do alone :/

 **[01:29] <Emrys>** Wow

 **[01:30] <Emrys>** so that’s what you’re into huh?

 **[01:30] <Cyber_Sword>** well yeah I guess. I’m into lots of things, this is just one thing I want to try one day

 **[01:30] <Cyber_Sword>** But I’m a bit busy with work atm, you know? Things are too crazy right now to be particularly adventurous

 **[01:31] <Emrys>** That makes sense.

 **[01:35] <Emrys>** sorry if i go quiet or respond slowly, typing with one hand

 **[01:35] <Cyber_Sword>** same

 **[01:35] <Cyber_Sword>** i’ve been close for ages

 **[01:36] <Emrys>** anyone you can think about since the porn clearly isn’t helping?

 **[01:36] <Cyber_Sword>** theres this bloke at work

 **[01:36] <Cyber_Sword>** has the most distracting mouth i’ve ever seen

 **[01:37] <Cyber_Sword>** we’ve fucked a few times and his cock his brilliant, i want to ride it while he sucks me off but i doubt he’s that flexible

 

Merlin bit his lip at the image that rose in his head, and quickened the strokes on his cock. He had to hand it to Cyber, the bloke had creativity. Or he’d just been watching porn that long.

 

 **[01:38] <Emrys>** is he big?

 **[01:38] <Cyber_Sword>** yeah, about the same size as me, and i’m rather well hung

 

Merlin didn’t realise the whimpering noise he’d heard had come from him until seconds after he made it. He looked down at his own cock, at the glistening head and the thick shaft, and his mind easily supplied the image of someone riding him, of another cock bobbing up and down as he leaned forward to take it in his mouth. He’d never wanted anything so badly.

 

 **[01:40] <Emrys>** im about 18cm hard last time i chekced

 **[01:41] <Cyber_Sword>** is it weird if i’m thinking about your cock fucking me now?

 

Merlin’s hand shook as he typed, and he didn’t trust himself to use more than two fingers to press the keys.

 

 **[01:41] <Emrys>** no

 **[01:41] <Emrys>** kind of hot actually

 **[01:42] <Cyber_Sword>** ok

 

Merlin didn’t know where he got the courage, but he suddenly had to know. He took immense comfort in the fact that it was the internet and he was still as anonymous as ever. Otherwise, all the courage in the world might not have allowed him to ask the question he was dying to know.

 

 **[01:43] <Emrys>** do i feel good?

 **[01:43] <Cyber_Sword>** yeah

 **[01:44] <Emrys>** am i giving it to you hard?

 **[01:44] <Cyber_Sword>** yeah

 **[01:44] <Cyber_Sword>** pulling my hair

 **[01:45] <Emrys>** that’s rather rough

 **[01:45] <Cyber_Sword>** yeah but i love it

 **[01:45] <Emrys>** am i making you moan?

 **[01:46] <Cyber_Sword>** yes

 **[01:46] <Emrys>** am i making you scream?

 **[01:46] <Cyber_Sword>** yes

 **[01:47] <Emrys>** am i making you come?

 

Merlin had only just pressed the ‘enter’ key when he felt his own orgasm edging closer. It was the grunts and moans of the porn still in the other window that helped him along, and the thought of it all, of fucking Cyber hard enough to make him scream, to make him come, pushed him over. He came so hard that he had to cup his hand over the head to stop the come from hitting his keyboard.

 

 **[01:49] <Cyber_Sword>** i finished

 **[01:50] <Emrys>** Um yeah I did too

 **[01:50] <Cyber_Sword>** Did we just have cyber sex?

 **[01:50] <Emrys>** no

 **[01:50] <Emrys>** Maybe

 **[01:50] <Emrys>** idk I’ve never done it before but I think yes?

 **[01:51] <Cyber_Sword>** I liked it

 **[01:51] <Emrys>** So did I

 **[01:51] <Emrys>** Don’t say anything to the others

 **[01:51] <Cyber_Sword>** I won’t as long as we can do it again?

 **[01:52] <Emrys>** ok

 **[01:52] <Cyber_Sword>** Guess I’ll let you get back to the antivirus now

 **[01:52] <Emrys>** I’m probably going to eat something then go to sleep at this point

 **[01:52] <Emrys>** Bit tired after that

 **[01:53] <Cyber_Sword>** same

 **[01:53] <Cyber_Sword>** night then

 **[01:53] <Emrys>** Bye

 

It was apparently just the two of them left, so there was no one else to say bye to in the main chat. Merlin set his status to away then pulled his pants up before wandering off to the kitchen.

Halfway there, he started laughing at himself. He’d just had cyber sex with Cyber Sword. What even was his life?

%%%

Merlin didn’t register Sunday passing. He was only vaguely aware of the light growing then fading behind the thick blue curtains in his bedroom as he tapped away at his keyboard. When he finally did look at the clock, it was nearly midnight.

Sighing, Merlin put his laptop aside, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes as he climbed into bed. He wasn’t the most tired he’d ever been in his life, but if he wanted to be in a decent mood for work, he had to put himself to sleep. Even so, he was still thinking in code for the half hour it took for his brain to finally shut down.

“Alright?” Arthur asked after Merlin put his latte down on the desk the next morning.

Merlin paused mid-turn. He’d put mental programming on hold for the moment (or tried to, at least), but that was when he really had to stop and reset his mind. He’d thought of nothing but algorithms and functions for the past two days, barely stopping to think about Arthur, and now their phone conversation on Saturday suddenly came back to him.

Arthur _never_ asked how Merlin was doing. There’d been little slip ups, such as when Arthur had pointed out an eyelash on Merlin’s cheek or noticed his hair cut, but the second it started to look like Arthur actually cared, Arthur withdrew again.

“I’m...yeah, I’m fine, why?”

Arthur shrugged as he brought the cup to his mouth. “Just looks like you’ve been up late.”

“Yes, well, your hair isn’t exactly perfectly smoothed down this morning either.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t an insult, Merlin, calm down. And stop idling, you have too much to get done to be standing there looking at me like an idiot.”

Merlin glared at him. How could Morgana believe for a second an arse like Arthur actually fancied him? The only thing Arthur fancied was himself.

“I’ll just be off to do my idiot work then, shall I?” Merlin sneered, turning on his heel to leave.

“That _is_ what I pay you for,” he heard Arthur mutter behind him.

Merlin sank down into his chair with a huff. He didn’t know why he kept expecting Arthur to show at least a little gratitude. Arthur thought highly enough of him to trust him with loads of complex programming, and even complimented his stupid ProFinder application, but was there ever a bit of thanks? Besides the brief moments of humaneness, when was Arthur ever anything but an arrogant prat in a suit?

Merlin sat with his fingers hovering over the keys. He saw Arthur, sulking at his desk the first night the Kilgharrah virus attacked, the first night they’d got together. He saw Arthur, sleep-ruffled in moonlight, asking him to come back to bed. He saw Arthur, as if from an outsider’s perspective, laying with him in the bed, sleeping with him, holding him.

Arthur’s voice. _“It...Yeah. Okay.”_

Merlin sighed and logged into his computer. Part of him wished he was back home, working on the anti-virus. He always felt better when plugged into a project, like the rest of the world didn’t exist. But another part of him, the part that was still a bit irritated with Arthur, wanted to let the company’s team go ahead and do the job themselves. It was what they were being paid to do after all. What would his reward be? Personal satisfaction? A sense of accomplishment?

Either way, he did have a lot of work to do, and on top of that, he couldn’t let on that he knew too much about malware. He was already downplaying his knowledge of computers for the position of PA. To show his true intelligence would be an invitation for questions he didn’t want to answer.

By lunchtime, Merlin was restless. The past few days, it’d been rare for Arthur to be in his office, as he was usually occupied working with the team, but getting up to look, Merlin saw that he was there now. He hurried down the corridor toward the lifts and took it down to the fourteenth floor. With any luck, he’d be back before Arthur noticed his absence.

Entering the two adjoined offices, the first thing Merlin saw was the scrawled text on the white-board. Snippets of code, network ports, passwords, a checklist of things to do. It reminded Merlin of when he’d been at university, staying up to all hours of the night working on a project. That’d been the last time he’d worked with a group of people—physically, anyway—on anything.

The empty energy drinks scattered around only emphasised it. Red Bull, Monster, Relentless—loads of them lying crumpled on tables, the floor, on top of boxes. Merlin was just grateful there seemed to be plenty of space to walk. The last time he’d been in an environment like this, he’d been tripping over cords and stubbing his toes on external hard drives.

To the left, Geraint sat in front of a computer with Gwaine hunched by the screen behind him. Both were pointing at something that Merlin was too far away to make out, but they seemed deep in conversation.

On Merlin’s right was the other set of computers, one of which Lancelot was diligently typing at. He had headphones in his ears, and was so busy staring ahead that, like everyone else, he hadn’t realised Merlin had entered.

Merlin made his way over to Lance. As he approached, he could hear the music playing from Lance’s headphones.

“How is everything going?”

Lance jumped at the sound of Merlin’s voice, and turned around quick enough to pull an earbud free. He looked up at Merlin in surprise.

“Do you need any help?” Merlin continued, trying his best smile.

“Oh, uh. Hmm.”

Lance looked back at his screen with a frown, and Merlin already knew _that_ face. That was the face that meant he didn’t _think_ he needed help, not if he just kept trying to figure it on his own for a bit, but help would be nice.

Finally, Lance seemed to make up his mind. “I wouldn’t want to bother you,” he said. “I’m sure you’re busy with all your other work.”

Well, that was sort of true, but Merlin’s other work was currently driving him insane. He wanted to be down here, at the heart of the problem, not doing everyone else’s jobs while they got to have fun.

“I’m interested in seeing what you’ve come up with,” Merlin said.

Lance pursed his lips thoughtfully, but nodded. “Alright. Here’s the code for the first bit.”

Merlin leaned over to get a better look at the screen. He raised his hand to adjust his glasses then ended up simply scratching beside his ear to cover it up when he found them absent.

“Holy mother of conditionals.”

Lance looked up at him again. “What?”

“Why do you have so many?” Merlin asked, pointing.

“Er, to test for each case and catch all the—”

“Don’t do it like that. You’ve written way too many lines of code for something so simple.”

“Oh.”

The quiet ‘oh’ made Merlin realise what he’d just done, and he mentally cursed himself. Taking a deep breath, he tried to think of something to say to make it right.

“Look, it’s not wrong,” Merlin said. “It’s just not efficient. And if you’re getting errors, that’s the first place I’d start looking. Okay?”

Lance nodded. “Okay.”

Lance’s code reminded Merlin what he needed to add to his own, though. He’d been so focused on the structure and maths of the program that he’d forgotten about catching errors. He wouldn’t have a thousand and one conditionals like Lance, however; he’d use a loop, and would probably search for things that fit opposite conditions to save memory...

“Merlin!”

Merlin didn’t start at the sound of Arthur yelling his name, he just winced. He’d only been gone a few minutes, and already Arthur had noticed him gone?

“Yes, Arthur?” Merlin said, spinning around. Arthur stood in the doorway looking furious, arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m not even going to ask what you’re doing here. Just get the hell out,” he snapped.

As far as Merlin was concerned, that was getting off easy. He’d expected much worse upon being found. He nodded and made quickly for the door.

“And Merlin,” Arthur said, grabbing Merlin’s arm. “Don’t let me find you in here again.”

Merlin stepped out of Arthur’s grasp and rubbed his arm. “I’ll just get your lunch then,” he muttered as he hurried off.

%%%

At least the rest of the day wasn’t so bad. Time always seemed to pass quicker after lunch, so it wasn’t long before it was finally time for Merlin to head home. He started getting ready to go, then braced himself for facing Arthur one last time.

However, he opened managed to poke his head in the door and open his mouth before Arthur saw him and sprang out of his seat.

“Merlin,” he said as he crossed his office. “You’re going now?”

“Yes...”

“Do you...Are you...”

Merlin blinked, waiting, while Arthur fumbled for his words. Since when did Arthur fumble for words?

“It’s just—What’s your favourite thing to eat?”

Arthur’s eyes slid closed and he took a breath, as though he couldn’t believe what he’d just asked, which made perfect sense to Merlin, considering he couldn’t believe Arthur had just asked it either.

“My favourite thing to—”

“Eat, yes,” Arthur finished, opening his eyes again.

“Okay, well,” Merlin began, “it’s something my mum used to always make me when I was ill. This traditional herbal tonic soup that she claimed cured everything. She spent hours cooking it. I haven’t had it in almost ten years, though.”

“That’s so _weird_.”

“Gee, thanks,” Merlin laughed.

“I didn’t mean—Ugh, never mind.”

“Why the sudden interest anyway?”

It took a moment for Arthur to reply, like he had to figure out the reason himself. “You’ve been working for me for months now and I hardly know anything about you.”

“I was under the assumption you didn’t care.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Merlin quirked a brow. “The first time I walked into your office you said I was right not to tell you my last name because—and I quote—you didn’t care.”

Arthur sputtered. “That’s—That’s—”

“Do you even know my last name?”

“Of course I do! It’s in your email!”

“So what is it?”

Arthur’s brow furrowed in contemplation, and his eyes fixed on something to the right of Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin snorted after ten whole seconds passed.

“It starts with an A, doesn’t it?” Arthur said at last.

“Ambrosius.”

“I knew that.”

“Of course you did. Look, Arthur, I’m going home, I have things to do.”

“What sort of things?”

“Interested in what I do in my free time now?”

“Maybe.”

Merlin sighed. “I dunno, I’ll probably just play WoW then get some work done or something. Okay?”

Arthur looked surprised. “You play—”

“Yeah, so?”

If Arthur tried to worm his way into that part of his life too, Merlin was going to have a serious problem. He’d registered his Battle.net account—like most of his online accounts—under the name Emrys. The last thing he needed was for Arthur to put the two together.

Arthur shook his head. “So nothing. Alright, fine, go home then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Merlin.”

Merlin started to, but then stopped as Arthur turned to walk back to his desk. He’d seen Arthur in that posture before, slumped and careless. It was the posture that said something was bothering him and he felt hopeless to do anything about it.

Merlin found himself speaking before he could stop himself.

“What’s wrong, Arthur?”

Arthur sighed and sat on the edge of his desk, running his finger along the wood. “There’s a virus threatening to destroy the company, Merlin. What do you think is wrong?”

Merlin stepped into the room completely and shortened the distance between them. He got close enough to see the strands of hair falling out of place into Arthur’s eyes, and he suddenly couldn’t help it—he reached forward and ruffled it all.

“Merlin!” Arthur protested, swatting Merlin away.

Merlin grinned. Arthur hadn’t managed to smooth it all down, and he looked much better that way. Less uptight and more natural.

“I know you, Arthur, and something’s wrong. Something’s bothering you.”

Arthur actually laughed outright. “You don’t know me, Merlin.”

“Enough to know when something’s wrong.”

“Didn’t you have things to do?” Arthur snapped.

“Arthur—”

“I’m fine, Merlin!”

“Fine, whatever,” Merlin said, giving up with exasperation. “I was just trying to help, considering that’s my job, but obviously you don’t want it.” Merlin turned to go but Arthur caught his wrist, keeping him there. “What?”

“I...I don’t want your help, Merlin.”

“Yeah, I got that, thanks.”

“I want _you_.”

That...That sort of took Merlin’s breath away. He was caught completely off guard and didn’t know how to react. He wasn’t even sure what Arthur meant. Arthur’s face wasn’t quite as confident as usual but it sure wasn’t nervous either.

A mask, then?

Merlin licked his lips and looked down at Arthur’s hand around his wrist. “Now?” he asked.

It was so quiet in the office that Merlin could hear Arthur swallow. And then Arthur said, “All the time.”

Merlin furrowed his brow. “But you don’t—You’re not—”

“Stop thinking you know me, Merlin. You don’t.”

“I don’t understand,” Merlin said, shaking his head. “I’m not good with all these social nuances so just tell me exactly what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying I want to date you.”

That’s what Merlin thought he’d been saying, what he’d been equally hoping for and dreading. Because as much as Merlin was interested in getting to know Arthur better—as well as getting to know his body better—there was still the fact that his last name was Pendragon. He was still the soon-to-be CEO of the world’s harshest computer security company, and Merlin was still Emrys.

It’d be like a policeman dating a criminal. It just wouldn’t work.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Arthur let go of Merlin’s wrist and frowned at him. “Why? Because I’m your boss?”

Merlin chuckled. Well, there was that, too, but he’d forgotten all about it until then.

“It’s not just that,” Merlin said. “That’s part of it, but...I’m not good for you, Arthur. We’re not...compatible.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I _know_ , Arthur. We’re completely different types. I’m a string and you’re...you’re an integer.”

The statement didn’t exactly have the effect Merlin had been going for. Arthur smiled and pulled Merlin closer by his belt loops.

“Strings can be parsed into integers, Merlin,” he purred.

“So you’re going to change me?”

Arthur’s mouth was dangerously close, and all Merlin could think was _Get away, turn around and don’t look back, don’t do this, it won’t end well._

Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to pull back.

“Of course not,” Arthur said. “You’ll still keep your original value. You’ll just be expressed differently.”

There, lips on Merlin’s neck, not kissing, just caressing skin.

_No, no, no, this feels too good, don’t let him do this._

“And what,” Merlin gasped, “what exactly would be your parse method?”

Arthur’s hand trailed down, further back to Merlin’s arse, and Merlin didn’t wonder for long how Arthur proposed to make them more compatible.

“What do you think?”

Merlin let himself enjoy the feeling for a few seconds, but then took a deep breath and pulled away.

“We shouldn’t.”

“ _Mer_ lin.”

“There’s something you don’t know,” Merlin said. “About me. I’m all wrong for you, okay? Let’s just stick to the physical stuff.”

Arthur simply stared at him blankly for a moment, before his face twisted in an expression that Merlin could only identify as angered hurt.

“If you don’t like me, Merlin, then just say so. You don’t have to make excuses, I can handle a bit of rejection.”

“No, that’s not—”

Merlin stopped. It wasn’t as if he had a better reason. It would hurt doing this to him, but it was better that Arthur think he wasn’t interested than the truth.

He started over. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I don’t like you that way, but I’m happy to keep helping you take your mind off things. If you think that’s still an option, anyway.”

Arthur lowered his eyes and shrugged. “Better than nothing, I suppose.”

“Wow.”

“What?” Arthur asked, looking back up.

“You actually do have feelings.”

Arthur shoved Merlin away, but Merlin could see the pleased quirk of his lips. That just made him feel even worse for lying to him.

If only they weren’t who they were.

“Go home, Merlin.”

“See you tomorrow, Arthur.”

Merlin managed to keep himself together halfway to the lifts, then slowed to a halt in front of the door to the stairwell. Without letting himself think too much about it, he ducked inside and started running down.

Twenty-one floors and he still hadn’t been able to outrun his feelings for Arthur.

%%%

There was only one logical next step, really.

Merlin threw himself into his work.

The conversation in Arthur’s office that evening had never happened as far as Merlin was concerned. He put all his energy into programming the anti-virus and staying on top of everyone else’s jobs. It was the only way he knew how to stop the flood of thoughts and emotions from rushing in.

As the rest of the week went on, things returned to normal. Arthur still threw insults and demands at Merlin, yelling from his office whenever he was there, and Merlin still did everything Arthur told him on the rare occasions Arthur wasn’t down seven floors working with his team.

But underneath it all, every day, every moment they spoke, there was the knowledge that now kept them a certain distance apart. It stood between them like an invisible buffer. The fact that Arthur liked Merlin, that both of them knew it, was always lingering above their heads, creating the smallest bit of tension. Merlin could only imagine the humiliation Arthur had to be suffering on his side of things.

On Merlin’s side, however, it was just as bad. Merlin knew Arthur fancied him now, and he knew that he himself had at some point started to reciprocate those feelings at least a little, but what made it unbearable was not being able to say so. To have to meet Arthur’s eyes day in and day out, seeing the longing just beneath the surface but not being able to do anything about it, made Merlin want to scream. If only Arthur _knew_.

Hence the ceaseless working.

Merlin did nothing but live and breathe numbers and code that week. At work, he did everything he was supposed to with an efficiency he knew had Arthur puzzled but that neither of them commented on. And as soon as he got home, he went straight to the anti-virus on his laptop, a program he was calling Aithusa.

He hardly looked into the IRC, only brief moments when his name was mentioned or someone sent him a private message. He didn’t play WoW with Will and Cyber, he barely browsed the internet, and he probably would’ve forgotten to eat if Will hadn’t taken it upon himself to order Merlin takeaway again.

It was only in the quiet moments just before drifting off to sleep that Merlin thought about Arthur. He couldn’t stop the flood of thoughts then, in the silence and dark of the night. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but no matter how hard he tried to block it out, the image of Arthur’s face always managed to appear.

A sparkle of light in his eyes, a twitch of his lips, a wisp of hair displaced from the rest of his fringe.

( _Firm fingers on his skin, gasps of breath in his ear, the heat of bodies pressed together_ )

The line that formed between his brows when he concentrated, the dimples when he smiled, the strong bridge of his nose.

Merlin thought days were bad, but nights were the worst.

He lost track of time. He woke up one morning with the sun shining against his curtains much brighter than usual, and bolted up from his bed when he caught sight of the time.

His alarm should’ve woken him, but it hadn’t.

Looking at his mobile, Merlin felt like an idiot. It was Saturday.

Merlin scratched his head as he went to sit at his laptop. It felt like he’d been in that same position only hours ago, and then he realised that he had been. Picking up his glasses from the desk and sliding them on, Merlin opened up the program and set to work.

Only a few minutes later, it was with one last line of code, one last round of debugging, that Merlin realised something else.

He was done.

Aithusa was finished.

He had to do a proper test first, of course. That would require buying another computer to infect, or finding one that was already damaged from the virus and letting loose his program on it. But he knew for certain, like a sixth sense, that it would work, that there was no need to tamper with it further.

He was done!

Setting the laptop aside, Merlin hurried to his desktop.

 

 **[10:54] <Emrys>** I’m a god among men.

 **[10:54] <Emrys>** Also hi, I’ve finished lurking.

 **[10:54] <morderator>** Oh good, we were getting worried.

 **[10:55] <Cyber_Sword>** Have you finished it then?

 **[10:55] <Emrys>** I have!

 **[10:55] <Emrys>** I need to test it first, but it’ll work.

 **[10:55] <Cyber_Sword>** You’re certain?

 **[10:55] <Emrys>** It’ll work.

 **[10:56] <morderator>** Finished what?

 **[10:56] <Emrys>** Project I was working on.

 **[10:56] <Emrys>** It took over my life but now I can have a life again :D

 **[10:56] <Cyber_Sword>** Well as much as a life as any of us can have lol

 **[10:56] <Emrys>** And think about other things...

 **[10:57] <Emrys>** *sigh* / _other_ / things :(

 **[10:57] <Cyber_Sword>** So you have some free time on your hands now?

 **[10:57] <Emrys>** I do.

 **[10:57] <Cyber_Sword>** wow?

 **[10:57] <Emrys>** Sure

 

Merlin opened up the game launcher but a second later got a notification of a private message. He went back to the IRC window.

 

 **[10:58] <Cyber_Sword>** We’ll play in a bit, okay?

 **[10:58] <Emrys>** ???

 **[10:58] <Emrys>** Oh!

 **[10:58] <Cyber_Sword>** Yeah

 **[10:58] <Cyber_Sword>** I just feel like shit lately and need this if you don’t mind

 **[10:58] <Emrys>** Okay

 **[10:59] <Emrys>** Give me a minute to get there

 **[10:59] <Cyber_Sword>** <http://bit.ly/WPYZO1>

**[10:59] <Emrys>** lol cheers

 

The first bit of the video was slow, so Merlin skipped ahead a little, right to the part where the blond twink started riding the brunette. It wasn’t that long a video, but Merlin figured Cyber didn’t mean for him to get his main satisfaction from this anyway. It was just to get him started, to get him interested.

Merlin was definitely interested. By the time the video ended, he already had his pants down.

 

 **[11:03] <Cyber_Sword>** Are you hard yet?

 **[11:05] <Emrys>** Yeah

 **[11:05] <Cyber_Sword>** How hard?

 **[11:05] <Emrys>** Really fucking hard

 **[11:05] <Cyber_Sword>** Show me?

 **[11:05] <Emrys>** You want a photo?

 **[11:06] <Cyber_Sword>** Yes

 **[11:06] <Emrys>** I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?

 **[11:06] <Cyber_Sword>** ok

 

Merlin had only taken a photo of his dick a few times, and it had been as a lonely teenager, just to see what it would look like from different angles. He had no idea what would look most attractive now, if he should do it from his point of view or from the front, if he should show his legs spread on his chair or just the dick itself.

In the end, he thought of what he’d want to see—the view from the front, as though he were kneeling before it getting ready to lick up the shaft and take it in his mouth.

He kept his face out of it, of course, but included his legs, from just above his knees all the way up to his navel. The messy floor of his room was a bit in the background, behind the desk chair in which he was sat with his legs wantonly parted, but Merlin didn’t think Cyber would mind. The main component was the cock standing up in his hand, curved just slightly toward the camera with the glistening head peaking out of the tight foreskin.

 

 **[11:09] <Cyber_Sword>** Wow

 **[11:09] <Cyber_Sword>** I think my mouth is actually watering

 **[11:10] <Emrys>** you like it then?

 **[11:10] <Cyber_Sword>** i want it

 **[11:10] <Emrys>** show me yours and i’ll give it to you

 

Merlin didn’t think his heart had ever beat so fast. He’d never done anything like this, and it was partly the excitement that was getting to him, making his cock throb in his hand. He gave it a few slow strokes and pulled on his balls as he waited.

And nearly maimed himself trying to click the thumbnail when it appeared.

It was taken from the same front angle, but Cyber’s legs were more than spread, and his free hand did more than hold the base of his cock. He was slid forward enough in his seat to lean back and lift his hips up, revealing the furrow of his arse where one of his long fingers was wedged inside. His balls were already so tight, drawn up like he was close, and his cock...His cock was about the same as Merlin’s but so much better because of the _veins_ , because of the flushed colour, and as Merlin fisted his own dick it was like he could already feel the rigid length on his tongue, the hot stiffness against his cheek.

Jesus, he just wanted to sit on it over and over again.

 

 **[11:12] <Emrys>** yeah that’s fucking hot

 **[11:12] <Cyber_Sword>** still want yours

 **[11:12] <Emrys>** want it inside you?

 **[11:13] <Cyber_Sword>** yes

 **[11:13] <Emrys>** deep inside you?

 **[11:13] <Cyber_Sword>** yes

 **[11:13] <Emrys>** fucking you hard like the last time?

 **[11:13] <Cyber_Sword>** fuck

 **[11:14] <Emrys>** you didn’t come already did you?

 **[11:14] <Cyber_Sword>** no

 **[11:14] <Cyber_Sword>** trying to get fingers in, trying to jerk my cock, trying to type. not enough hands to touch everywhere at once

 **[11:15] <Emrys>** i know the feelign

 **[11:15] <Cyber_Sword>** keep going please i’m close

 **[11:15] <Emrys>** i know

 **[11:15] <Emrys>** I could tell from your pic

 **[11:16] <Emrys>** your cock is fucking beautiufl

 **[11:16] <Emrys>** i’d suck it after i fucked you

 **[11:16] <Emrys>** i have to admit i don’t have the most experience with deepthroating but you could help me practise right?

 **[11:17] <Emrys>** tilt my head back, tell me to open my throat, shove inside

 **[11:17] <Emrys>** i’ve also never had someone come on my face before

 **[11:17] <Emrys>** i’m always worried it’ll get in my eye you know, but i do sometimes think about it dripping down my cheek or over my lips and down my chin

 **[11:17] <Cyber_Sword>** omg

 **[11:18] <Emrys>** think about it, your come on my lips

 **[11:18] <Emrys>** you said that bloke at work has a distracting mouth, yeah?

 **[11:18] <Emrys>** pretend i’ve got his lips, licking up a drop of your come from the corner of my mouth

 **[11:19] <Cyber_Sword>** / _now_ / ive finished

 

Thank God for that. Merlin was nearly there too, excited by the images his own filthy words had conjured up, but he hadn’t given in and touched himself properly in order to type.

 

 **[11:19] <Emrys>** great, you can help me out then

 **[11:19] <Cyber_Sword>** yeah

 **[11:19] <Cyber_Sword>** you still have the photo of my cock up?

 **[11:20] <Emrys>** yeah

 **[11:20] <Cyber_Sword>** have you thought about it fucking you the same way i thought of yours fucking me?

 **[11:20] <Emrys>** yes

 **[11:20] <Emrys>** thought about riding it tbh

 **[11:21] <Cyber_Sword>** fast?

 **[11:21] <Emrys>** not at first

 **[11:21] <Cyber_Sword>** oh

 **[11:21] <Cyber_Sword>** slow then

 **[11:21] <Cyber_Sword>** it is rather large i suppose, you’d need to get used to it

 **[11:21] <Cyber_Sword>** i can be patient when it’s important, i’d let you take your time

 **[11:22] <Cyber_Sword>** let you take it in nice and slow

 **[11:22] <Cyber_Sword>** stretch you open and stuff you full of my cock

 **[11:22] <Emrys>** jfc

 

Merlin actually moaned. He actually _whimpered_ for it.

Then somehow, between one breath and the next, he saw Arthur’s face. Arthur with his lips parted as he panted, with his brows raised as Merlin rode him like he had the first time. Merlin’s heart clenched at the same time lust rolled through him. He was there again, in Arthur’s flat, straddling Arthur’s cock, taking it, fucking himself on it.

It was too much. He glued his eyes back to his computer screen and tried to focus on nothing but Cyber’s words as he stroked himself faster.

 

 **[11:23] <Cyber_Sword>** You’d really ride me then

 **[11:23] <Cyber_Sword>** get yourself off on me like you couldn’t get enough

 **[11:23] <Emrys>** oh fuck yes

 **[11:23] <Cyber_Sword>** i’ve never come inside anyone but i’d come inside of you. i’d flip you over and hold you down and fill your tight little arse

 

“Oh _fuck_!”

Hot spurts of come ran down the back of Merlin’s hand, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he finished.

 

 **[11:24] <Emrys>** ok

 **[11:24] <Emrys>** i’m done

 **[11:24] <Emrys>** fuck, give me a minute

 **[11:24] <Cyber_Sword>** i’ll start up WoW?

 **[11:25] <Emrys>** um yeah, use one of your dps toons so we don’t queue as fast

 **[11:25] <Cyber_Sword>** okay

 **[11:25] <Emrys>** I’m going to clean up and get something to eat, brb

 

It wasn’t until Merlin was opening his fridge that he remembered the danger of having so much free time on his hands once more. He’d been reaching for the orange juice and then suddenly it was there again, not so much as an image this time but more like a reminder.

_Oh yeah. Arthur exists._

Merlin slammed the fridge shut and groaned at himself. He didn’t do these sort of things, longing and pining for someone. The last time he’d had a crush was in college, and now he couldn’t even remember her name. But he did remember the feeling she used to give him, how his heart would stutter every time he saw her or heard her voice, how he’d walk a certain way to class just to get a glimpse of her.

He didn’t feel quite that way now. Now he felt like thoughts of Arthur were invading his head, not leaving him alone. He saw himself in all these different romantic scenarios with him, holding hands, or cuddled on a sofa, and after one moment of feeling warm at the thought, he felt wretched because it could never happen. Not when he had so many secrets.

What he had with Cyber wasn’t bad. Merlin actually really liked him, and now it was more than just because the man was his idol once upon a time. Cyber was sort of a dick at first, certainly, but now he was Merlin’s best friend apart from Will and Knight. They had fun, they talked, they wanked. The only problem was that Merlin’s wishful thinking kept having him put Arthur’s face on Cyber’s imaginary body when they got off together.

That would probably—hopefully—change over time, though. Like with the girl in college, Merlin’s feelings for Arthur would fade away. He’d be able to cyber with Cyber without the angst, and everything would be just peachy.

And anyway, why was he so caught up in insignificant human problems? He’d just programmed an anti-virus that would save the entire country’s economy.

%%%

Like many things in life, as quickly as Merlin solved the problem, it all went to shit again.

He’d spent a few hours running randoms with Cyber on WoW, another few levelling new toons together, and then when Will had got online, Merlin pulled up the IRC tab to talk to him. He had to tell his best friend the good news.

 

**** **< WILL>** joined #Legion

 **[18:05] <Emrys>** WILL!

 **[18:05] <WILL>** ello

 **[18:05] <Emrys>** Remember that worm you did for Odin?

 **[18:06] <WILL>** of course i do, it was fucking ace

 **[18:06] <Cyber_Sword>** You did that?

 **[18:06] <Emrys>** I did something / _so_ / much better :)

 **[18:06] <WILL>** yep, all me :)

 **< WILL>** **sighs**

 **[18:06] <WILL>** we all know you’re the best hacker here Em, no need to show off

 **[18:07] <Emrys>** Let me have my fun, will you?

 **[18:07] <morderator>** What’d you do?

 **[18:07] <WILL>** where’s knight btw

 **[18:07] <Cyber_Sword>** Something about a date.

 **[18:07] <WILL>** no fucking way

 **[18:07] <WILL>** our little knight went out and got herself a date?

 **[18:08] <Emrys>** OMG would you two shut up

 **[18:08] <Cyber_Sword>** Yeah.

 **[18:08] <morderator>** I’m listening Emrys :)

 **[18:08] <WILL>** alright, ffs tell me

 **[18:08] <Emrys>** Okay.

 **[18:08] <Emrys>** You know the Kilgharrah virus that’s destroyed the economy?

 **[18:09] <WILL>** yes

 **[18:09] <WILL>** WAIT WAS THAT YOU?

 **[18:09] <morderator>** It’s also nearly destroyed Pendragon Enterprise, but yes, I’ve heard of it.

 **[18:09] <Emrys>** No, it wasn’t me, Will

 **[18:09] <Emrys>** What was me (or will be me) is the antivirus

 **[18:10] <Emrys>** Aithusa

 **[18:10] <WILL>** oh grats mate, thats awesome!

 **[18:10] <Emrys>** I know :D

 **[18:10] <morderator>** You wrote an anti-virus for Kilgharrah?

 **[18:10] <Emrys>** Yep.

 **[18:10] <morderator>** Why

 **[18:10] <morderator>** Why the fuck would you do that?

 

Merlin drummed his fingers across the keyboard as he considered the reply. He knew Mord hated Pendragon, and it was why he’d originally been hesitant to announce it with him in the room. Mord was still the noob of them all, and Merlin always felt he was more sensitive than the rest of them. He didn’t want to risk losing a clan member over something as trivial as one person’s inexplicable hatred of a computer security company.

 

 **[18:11] <Emrys>** Mord, Kilgharrah seriously fucked up life for a lot of people

**< Cyber_Sword> points to self.**

**[18:11] <Emrys>** There’s viruses and then there’s / _viruses_ /.

 **[18:11] <Emrys>** This one shouldn’t exist.

 **[18:12] <morderator>** No, Pendragon deserves it.

 **[18:12] <morderator>** Don’t you think so?

 **[18:12] <Emrys>** I don’t.

 **[18:12] <Emrys>** Pendragon Enterprises keeps the hackers who are too powerful in check.

 **[18:12] <WILL>** you’re pretty powerful yourself Em

 **[18:12] <morderator>** exactly!

 **[18:12] <Cyber_Sword>** Shut up Will

 **[18:12] <Emrys>** Shut up Will

 **[18:13] <morderator>** Why do you get to do whatever you want but the Kilgharrah hacker can’t?

 **[18:13] <Cyber_Sword>** I haven’t heard of Emrys hacking anyone so badly that it caused a country’s economy to crash

 **[18:13] <Emrys>** ^

 **[18:13] <Emrys>** I’m not into large-scale disaster

 **[18:13] <Emrys>** I do enough to get by, maybe I’ll punish a couple corrupt businessmen, and maybe sometimes I’ll hack into a secure server just to say I did

 **[18:14] <Emrys>** I don’t leave thousands of people out of work and suffering

 **[18:14] <morderator>** So you hate the Kilgharrah hacker, is that it?

 **[18:14] <morderator>** You’re going to undo all his work and then laugh about it all victoriously?

 **[18:15] <WILL>** mord wait a sec

 **[18:15] <Cyber_Sword>** You little fucking shit.

 **[18:15] <morderator>** What?

 **[18:15] <Emrys>** Mord please tell me you didn’t

 **[18:16] <Cyber_Sword>** He did

 **[18:16] <Cyber_Sword>** I can’t fucking believe this

 **[18:16] <morderator>** I did

 **[18:16] <morderator>** I wrote the Kilgharrah virus.

 **[18:17] <Cyber_Sword>** I’m going to fucking kill you

 

Merlin pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He didn’t need this. He didn’t want this. He _liked_ Morderator, even if he was weird and aloof. Mord had been with them for just over two years. Merlin had let him in and he’d become part of his internet family. The betrayal hurt more than Merlin would’ve thought.

That, and he had trouble believing that Mord even _could_ program a virus like Kilgharrah. Since when had the noob learnt to code like that?

 

 **[18:17] <Emrys>** Is it because you hate Pendragon? Was it to take them down?

 **[18:17] <morderator>** That was part of it, yes.

 **[18:17] <Emrys>** And the other part?

 

There wasn’t a reply for so long that Merlin started to worry. He had the urge to check all his passwords and servers just to make certain Mord wasn’t currently trying to get some kind of revenge.

But then.

 

 **[18:20] <morderator>** I’ll tell you in a PM.

 **[18:20] <Emrys>** Okay.

 

There. He knew Mord was young. This only proved it.

 

 **[18:20] <Emrys>** What is it?

 **[18:21] <morderator>** None of the people in this clan take me seriously.

 **[18:21] <morderator>** Unless I did something as great as you, I’d always be a noob to them.

 **[18:21] <Emrys>** That’s not even remotely true.

 **[18:21] <Emrys>** No one really thinks that, it’s just for laughs

 **[18:21] <morderator>** Well I don’t find it funny

 **[18:21] <morderator>** I was going to take down Pendragon completely as a surprise for you

 **[18:22] <morderator>** For everyone, really

 

Oh God no, if everything was somehow Merlin’s fault, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to forgive himself. Everything all those people had gone through, people like Cyber. Everything Arthur had had to deal with, everyone at Pendragon freaking out over it.

This was _not his fault._

 

 **[18:22] <morderator>** Legion was going to reap the benefits of their downfall.

 **[18:22] <morderator>** We were going to be amazing!

 **[18:22] <Emrys>** That’s not what I want.

 **[18:23] <Emrys>** I’ve never once even hinted at wanting to be “amazing”

 **[18:23] <Emrys>** Don’t you think I could if I really wanted to?

 **[18:23] <Emrys>** I could slaughter Pendragon without even trying if that was my goal.

 **[18:23] <Emrys>** You don’t make decisions like that without asking me, Mord.

 **[18:23] <Emrys>** This is / _my_ / clan, and everyone follows / _my_ / rules.

 **[18:24] <morderator>** That’s ridiculous!

 **[18:24] <Emrys>** That’s what you agreed to when you joined.

 **[18:24] <Emrys>** Everyone is allowed their own minor hacks, but anything major is discussed between us.

 **[18:24] <Emrys>** All Will did was make a worm for one company and he talked to me about it first.

 **[18:25] <morderator>** That’s fucking stupid.

 **[18:25] <Emrys>** You’re free to leave at any time!

 **[18:25] <morderator>** Alright, then I will.

 

Merlin wasn’t breathing. He felt like the future of the entire country—the entire _world_ —rested on the decision he’d just made. With a few keystrokes, a few harsh words, he’d changed the course of history.

It was frightening, to say the least.

And then, back in the main chat tab:

 

 **[18:25] <morderator>** I’m leaving. Fuck all of you.

 **[18:26] <Emrys>** Wait

 **[18:26] <morderator>** What the fuck is it now

 **[18:26] <Emrys>** Don’t try hacking any of us. I have a zombie army and contacts at Pendragon. You really wouldn’t stand a chance.

**** **< morderator>** quit #Legion (rule 5)

**< WILL> sighs**

**[18:26] <Emrys>** What’s rule 5?

 **[18:26] <Emrys>** Is it bad?

 **[18:27] <Cyber_Sword>** Anonymous does not forgive. Anonymous does not forget.

 **[18:27] <Emrys>** for fucks sake

 **[18:27] <WILL>** what did he say in the pm?

 **[18:27] <Emrys>** Basically: He was upset about everyone calling him a noob and he wanted to prove he wasn’t.

 **[18:27] <WILL>** of course

 **[18:28] <Cyber_Sword>** Seriously? He collapsed an economy because of something childish like that?

 **[18:28] <Emrys>** And he wanted our clan to be able to “reap the benefits of Pendragon’s downfall”

 **[18:28] <Cyber_Sword>** I’m hacking him

 **[18:28] <Emrys>** Cyber, come on, don’t

 **[18:28] <Cyber_Sword>** Too late

 **[18:28] <Emrys>** I’m not getting caught up in this

 **[18:29] <WILL>** neither am i

 **[18:29] <Cyber_Sword>** You insult me. I’ll be done with him so quickly there won’t be anything to get caught up in.

 **[18:29] <Emrys>** You’re seriously taking care of it?

 **[18:29] <Cyber_Sword>** Confession: I’ve had my eye on most of you for weeks. I wouldn’t join a clan without leverage. I made that mistake once already.

 **[18:30] <Emrys>** You’re kidding

 **[18:30] <Cyber_Sword>** I wasn’t able to break through you, Emrys, but I’m not stupid. And I wouldn’t do anything with the information unless it was a dire cirumstance.

 **[18:30] <Cyber_Sword>** Such as now. With this twat.

 **[18:30] <WILL>** i am reluctantly impressed

 **[18:31] <Cyber_Sword>** So yes. Consider it taken care of.

 **[18:31] <Emrys>** I think...

 **[18:31] <Emrys>** I think I love you

 **[18:31] <WILL>** I’M SO TELLING KNIGHT WHEN SHE GETS BACK FROM HER DATE

 **[18:31] <Cyber_Sword>** lol I love you too Em

 **[18:32] <Emrys>** Oh shut up Will

 **[18:32] <WILL>** okay but question

 **[18:32] <Emrys>** Answer

 **[18:32] <WILL>** how are you going to get the antivirus out?

 **[18:32] <Emrys>** I was going to make it look like Pendragon Enterprise wrote it

 **[18:32] <Cyber_Sword>** How?

 **[18:32] <Cyber_Sword>** Post them a memory stick?

 **[18:32] <Emrys>** Oh no, that’s incredibly dodgy

 **[18:33] <Emrys>** I wasn’t lying about having contacts there

 **< WILL>** **snickers.**

 **[18:33] <Emrys>** I have my ways of getting it to them.

 **< Emrys>** **thumps Will.**

 **[18:33] <Cyber_Sword>** ?

 **[18:33] <Emrys>** don’t pay him any attention

 **[18:33] <Emrys>** Will go sit in the corner

 **[18:33] <WILL>** :(

 **[18:34] <Emrys>** Look, the bottom line is Pendragon will get it on Monday. Don’t worry about it.

 **[18:34] <WILL>** what else will he get?

 **[18:34] <Cyber_Sword>** Sounds good to me.

 **< Emrys>** **locks Will in the cupboard.**

 **[18:34] <Emrys>** Anyway how are things on your end?

 **[18:35] <Cyber_Sword>** Great. Almost done.

 **[18:35] <Emrys>** Really?

 **[18:35] <Cyber_Sword>** Really.

 **[18:35] <Emrys>** How???

 **[18:35] <Cyber_Sword>** Excalibur

 **[18:35] <Cyber_Sword>** My own infiltrator program

 **[18:35] <Cyber_Sword>** Never fails.

 **[18:36] <Emrys>** Good.

 **[18:36] <WILL>** and then can we play wow or?


	4. #356

It was as simple as leaving the memory stick on Lance’s desk on the fourteenth floor Monday morning. Merlin had even put a Read Me file on it, just so there couldn’t be any confusion. He wasn’t sure whether or not Lance would trust it, but it was in fate’s hands now. And if Lance didn’t trust it, odds were he’d go to Arthur and consult him. Arthur would see Aithusa for the genius it was, Merlin was certain.

“Mr Ambrosius.”

Merlin raised his eyes slowly to face the owner of the voice who’d icily said his name. It was Morgana, looking as beautiful and venomous as ever. Too good for a Monday morning.

And she was obviously displeased.

“Ms Pendragon.”

“Pray tell,” she continued, leaning over Merlin’s desk, “what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I-I’m not sure what—”

“He _is_ my brother. We do _talk,_ you know.”

“—you’re talking about.”

Morgana sighed, and Merlin swallowed as she walked around his desk, coming up beside him. Why did she have to wear heels? Heels made her so much taller, and it was bad enough with him already sitting down.

“Merlin. Listen to me. I know Arthur told you.”

“Told me what?”

“You know what.”

Merlin thought he knew what she was talking about now, and when she raised an eyebrow, daring him to object, he knew for certain.

“Oh. That he fancies me.”

“Yes, that. And I refuse to go through another week having to hear about ‘Merlin this’ and ‘Merlin that.’ What the hell are you doing?” she asked again.

Merlin looked down at his badge, thumbing the edge. “I don’t like him that way.”

“Like hell you don’t! It may look like Arthur’s taking it well, but it’s killing him inside, and you know who has to hear about it all the time? You know who has to deal with him when he’s moping around and whining and curled up on the floor of his living room? Me. That’s who. So whatever game you’re playing—”

Merlin just about died when Arthur suddenly came out of his office and grabbed Morgana by the arm, yanking her away. The whole thing took about three seconds, Arthur coming out, pulling her back into his office and slamming the door. But it was three seconds in which Merlin felt absolutely mortified.

Then the yelling started. Merlin tried to tune it out. Which was actually quite easy given the fact that his thoughts were still stuck on Arthur “moping and whining and curled up on the floor of his living room.” He tried to imagine Arthur doing any of those three things, and couldn’t.

It wasn’t five minutes later when Merlin heard his name again.

“Merlin?”

Merlin looked up. It was Lancelot, just about on time to have discovered the contents of the memory stick and its implementation. Merlin couldn’t see from his current position, but he bet Lance was holding it in his hand or had it in his pocket.

“Yes?”

“Is, uh, Arthur busy?”

Lance looked at the door of Arthur’s office, no doubt hearing the sibling spat and thinking the same thing Merlin was: _No way is Mr Pendragon ready to see you now_.

“It’s probably best if you knock,” Merlin advised.

“Aren’t you supposed to—”

“Not a chance,” Merlin chuckled. “Good luck.”

He pretended to go back to something important on his computer while subtly watching Lancelot’s hesitant approach. The yelling didn’t stop right when Lance knocked, but went on a few seconds. Lance knocked again, harder, and then all went quiet.

Morgana suddenly came rushing out as the door flew open, storming down the corridor past Merlin and shooting him a glare. Merlin’s blood ran cold. He was sure to hear about it later, from both Pendragon siblings.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir,” Lance was saying, “but I found this on my desk when I got in this morning and—”

“Let me see it,” Arthur said, plucking the memory stick out of Lance’s hand. “You said you found it on your desk? Which desk?”

Arthur closed the door of his office as he stepped out, and looked at Lance closely. At the same time, Merlin felt like an idiot for having forgotten. There were only a select few who knew the Kilgharrah team was working on the fourteenth floor, and even fewer who knew which room. Even less than that knew which desk was Lancelot’s.

“In the team room,” Lance replied. “I wasn’t sure where it came from or if I should look to see what was on it.”

“We’ll disconnect your computer from the network first, just to be safe,” Arthur said as he and Lance walked past Merlin toward the lifts. “Are you sure it wasn’t one of the others who might’ve just left it there by mistake?”

Their voices faded out the further away they walked, and without an excuse to follow, Merlin was forced to stay behind. He had to hope they looked at his work and found it suited to their needs.

Which was a ridiculous hope. Of course it would suit their needs. And if Arthur didn’t see that, then he was even bigger clotpole than Merlin had originally thought.

It was the waiting that seemed to do him in. He still had more than enough work to do, since none of the others had officially returned to their normal jobs yet, but he had trouble focusing. He wanted to know what was going on down in that room, if they were all huddled together in front of Lance’s monitor studying his code. He wanted to know what they were saying, what they thought of it. He wanted to know if they were going to use it.

But as time ticked by, and eight o’clock became nine, and nine became ten, Merlin realised that wondering wasn’t going to get anything done. If Arthur had seen the things Merlin had done so far today—or rather, _hadn’t_ done so far today—he’d be disappointed. So Merlin pushed out all thoughts of the Kilgharrah team and Aithusa as far out of his head as he could, and set about working on the mundane, tedious task of the lower programmer’s work.

%%%

The trouble was, it went on for days. Tuesday was the same as Monday. Wednesday, too. Arthur had rarely been in his office before, but now he was absent entirely. It was as though he and Merlin had switched places—Merlin had thrown himself into his work last week, and this week was Arthur’s turn.

It got to the point where Merlin once again had only his evenings with Cyber and the rest of the clan to look forward to. Mostly it was WoW and idle chat, but twice, on Wednesday and Thursday, there was cyber sex again. Merlin had thought that with Arthur being so absorbed in work, it would be easier not to think about him this time round. It proved the opposite. Merlin felt himself longing for Arthur’s presence more than ever.

Wednesday is when the news broke. Merlin didn’t know what Cyber’s Excalibur program did, but somehow, the authorities caught up to the hacker behind the Kilgharrah virus. Morderator—or Mordred Blevins—was taken from his flat in Bridgend, Wales on Tuesday night and the story was still running on Thursday.

Merlin had worried what Mord would give as his reasons for launching the virus, if he would mention the codename Emrys and say he’d done it all for him, but the worry proved unnecessary. Mord had stuck to two reasons, and two reasons only: He hated Pendragon Enterprise and he wanted to take them down to make life easier for hackers like him.

It was hard to watch. Mord was young. Maybe not as young as Merlin had thought, but young enough for the youth to still be evident in his face. Young enough that to see such hatred in his piercing eyes made Merlin feel sick. Every camera that was shoved into his face, Mord stared at as if he were trying to stare right at Emrys, damning him without saying a word.

Mordred’s voice was worse, when he finally did speak. It was as full of hate as his eyes, soft and leathery and vicious enough to make Merlin’s skin crawl. It didn’t add up with the boy who’d always been pleasant online, who’d always used too many emoticons and was never taken seriously.

Merlin couldn’t watch. He couldn’t listen to the news and face the part he’d played in it. He was on edge, he was jittery, he was restless. He didn’t have a project to lose himself in, he didn’t have Arthur, and even his nightly WoW adventures with Cyber and Will weren’t enough to get him back to his usual standards. Life...everything...just felt _wrong_.

Which is exactly what Arthur probably thought when Merlin walked into his office on Friday. Merlin knew he looked bad, but by the end of the week, he was past caring. He didn’t expect Arthur to notice much, not when Merlin only saw brief glimpses of him every day anyway. There was the quick hello in the morning to drop off Arthur’s latte, another at lunch, and the last when Merlin went home. Merlin had even thought about foregoing his contact lenses, just to see if anyone would notice or care.

But Friday was different. Friday, Arthur didn’t disappear down to the fourteenth floor after Merlin dropped off his coffee. Arthur simply leaned back in his chair after taking a sip, looking at Merlin curiously.

“What?”

Arthur lowered his eyes and thinned his lips before speaking. “Sorry about my sister. On Monday.”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you...You seem...Not fine.”

“if I had any complaints, I’d be sure to let you know.”

Arthur did chuckle at that. “I’m sure you would.”

“You’ve finished with the Kilgharrah team then?”

“The hacker responsible was caught.”

“I know. I think everyone in the building knows.”

Arthur hummed thoughtfully and traced a whorl in the wood of his desk. “Yeah. Everyone in the building.”

“So everything’s back to normal? The others are back at their regular work stations?”

“Yes, Merlin, you’re done doing everyone’s work, congratulations.”

“Did you want me to write up the report for you, or have you already done it?”

Arthur’s finger froze halfway through its circular motion, and he looked up. Every instinct told Merlin to look away, but he felt if he did, it would be the same as telling Arthur all his secrets.

Then Arthur smiled. “It’s been taken care of, but thank you, Merlin.”

“Alright. Well, if there’s nothing else?”

“Nothing else.”

“Great.” Merlin turned to go, not able to get out of the office quick enough.

“Merlin.”

_Fuck, what is it now?_

“Yes, Arthur?” he said, turning around.

“It’s been a rather stressful week, don’t you think?”

“Um, yes.”

“We should probably unwind a bit tonight.”

_Yes yes yes yes yes_

“Sounds good to me.”

“Brilliant. Now, off you go, I have a meeting with my father to prepare for.”

%%%

“Which street do you live on?” Arthur asked in the car after work.

“We just passed it actually.”

“Oh.”

And then silence.

Merlin was sweating. He never sweat like this before, but things were different now. He was all strung up, wanting to jump Arthur right this second. He wanted Arthur’s body against him, wanted to smell him, breathe him in.

They couldn’t get to Arthur’s flat fast enough.

Based on how hard Arthur held his hand in the lift, Merlin reckoned Arthur was feeling much of the same. But where Arthur could show his feelings, since they both knew the truth, Merlin had to keep his hidden. He couldn’t let on how much he wanted this, wanted Arthur.

Arthur didn’t even lock the door once he pulled Merlin inside. It was just like the first time, all rough kissing and desperate grabbing. But Merlin knew the way to the bedroom now, and could help navigate as they stumbled blindly through the flat, lips smashed together, and tongues dancing.

Arthur was so _needy_ this time round. He was whining and moaning and they hadn’t even got their clothes off yet. He rutted against Merlin like an animal, and because he was Arthur, stronger, bigger, heavier, Merlin had no choice but to let him.

Not that Merlin would have tried to resist. He let Arthur pull him down into the spiral of pleasure with him, would have gladly gone along with anything Arthur wanted at that moment. He didn’t try to calm Arthur in the slightest, just bucked his hips forward, pulled Arthur close, and encouraged him, thinking _Come on Arthur, go ahead, fuck me, take what you need, anything_.

By the time they got to the bedroom, the clothes had gone from being minor annoyances to downright offensive. Arthur went at Merlin’s belt with quick fingers while Merlin got Arthur out of his tie. He stepped out of his shoes just as his trousers fell to his ankles, then stepped out of those as well. He finally got the last button of Arthur’s shirt undone when Arthur went for his own belt.

Another kiss kept Merlin from removing his shirt, so while his and Arthur’s mouth stayed slotted together, opening and closing in sync, he dropped his pants. He grabbed hold of Arthur’s hips and spun him around, pushing him back onto the bed to sit on top of him and grind his cock into bulge tenting Arthur’s trousers.

A bolt of ecstasy shot through him when Arthur flipped him, rolling their bodies to switch the positions. He arched up into him, forgetting the presence of those pesky _feelings_ and simply chasing the need for touch and warmth and friction. He parted his legs to make room for Arthur’s body then hooked them around, bringing Arthur close.

“Arthur, fuck—fuck me—please,” he gasped. There was more he wanted to say, more he wanted to beg for, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself. He didn’t want to show had badly he needed it.

He exhaled gratefully when Arthur began kissing down his front, quick, wet, sloppy kisses that left a trail across his skin. Arthur had never sucked his cock before but that’s what Merlin suddenly needed, more than ever, more than anything in the world he needed Arthur’s perfect lips puckered around his length.

He was shuddering, throbbing, panting, shaking, and ready for Arthur to get there, when Arthur stopped.

Merlin whined before he thought to stop himself. He looked down between his legs to see what the matter was and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Arthur just kneeling there, staring wide-eyed at his cock. Like he hadn’t seen it before.

“Arthur,” Merlin whined again.

Arthur didn’t speak. Merlin wasn’t sure Arthur even remembered how to move until Arthur blinked. Then he disappeared, ducking under the bed to rummage around for who knew what.

“What—”

“Just a second,” came Arthur’s voice. His face returned a moment later as he popped back up, holding his mobile.

Merlin gaped. “What the hell are you doing?” Arthur wasn’t going to take a photo, was he?

“Sit up, just for a second,” Arthur said. “Slide forward a bit.”

“Arthur...”

Merlin slid forward anyway, sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs open. He didn’t know what was going on, but if Arthur wanted to take a photo, Merlin wasn’t going to stop him. He knew Arthur wouldn’t do anything bad with it, and the way Merlin figured it, the quicker this was over with, the quicker Arthur’s cock would be inside him.

“Merlin.”

“What?”

Arthur knelt down in front of him, holding the phone up next to his legs. Looking from the screen and back again. Slowly, Arthur reached out and touched the inside of Merlin’s right thigh.

“Have you always had this mole here?” he asked.

Merlin looked down to where Arthur’s thumb was rubbing the dark circle on his thigh and furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Yes. Why?”

“Is this...” Arthur turned the phone around, showing Merlin the screen. “Is this your cock?”

Merlin snatched it from his hand. He knew this photo. This was the same photo he sent to Cyber, that was the floor of his room in the background.

“That fucking twat!” Merlin yelled.

“Is it?”

“Is it what?”

“Is it your cock?”

“Yes, it’s my fucking cock! I know what my cock looks like, and this...I can’t believe this.”

“Merlin, the person I got this from—”

“No, it’s stupid,” Merlin said, shaking his head. “I...I sent this photo to someone online and clearly they decided it was worth spreading around. I’m going to fucking kill him, I can’t believe he...Fuck!”

“Merlin!”

“What!”

“Emrys sent this to me.”

“Wh-What?”

Arthur swallowed, and Merlin didn’t blame him. He was hardly breathing properly as well.

“The hacker,” Arthur began. “Emrys. He sent this to me. Directly to me. So either he had a photo of your cock stored away or—”

“No.”

“Merlin—”

“No! Emrys sent that to Cyber. And you’re—”

“The same person.”

Clothes, that’s what Merlin needed. He was still wearing his top for the most part, but his pants and trousers were around here somewhere. He pushed Arthur away and picked up the first article of clothing he saw.

“Merlin, wait, stop!”

Arthur was reaching out for him and that wouldn’t do, not at all. Merlin scooped up the rest of his belongings and made a run for it, barely taking the time to put his trousers on properly. He was holding them up with one hand while holding onto his shoes with the other while he ran for the door, ignoring the sound of Arthur screaming his name behind him.

%%%

Merlin couldn’t go five seconds without groaning. The things he’d said to Cyber, the things they’d _done_. It was more than embarrassing. It was...There wasn’t a word for it.

The worst part was, Merlin couldn’t even go to his usual place of comfort. He looked at the IRC, at his status that was still set to away and the list of people in the room, and felt a wave of shame every time he saw Cyber’s name there.

Arthur’s name.

It wasn’t possible for them to be the same person. Cyber Sword was a hacker! Merlin’s idol! And Arthur was a Pendragon. He was going to be CEO of the world’s best _anti-_ hacking company. It wasn’t possible.

On top of that, Cyber was fun. Cyber made jokes, spent countless hours playing WoW with him, and—oh God, Cyber thought about things like taking two cocks at once, having his mouth fucked, being pounded into. Arthur was the opposite in every single way.

The two just did not go together.

Merlin didn’t think he could ever go back to work to face Arthur. He supposed he should have known Arthur wouldn’t wait that long.

It was Saturday afternoon—not even a single day later—when someone knocked on Merlin’s door. Merlin didn’t have any questions as to who it might have been.

 _Would’ve happened sooner or later_ , he told himself as he walked from his bedroom to answer it.

He wasn’t prepared for the sight he opened to door to.

It was Arthur, but it wasn’t. This Arthur wasn’t wearing a tie, or even particularly fancy trousers. This Arthur wore jeans and a black t-shirt, and Merlin did a double-take when he saw the logo.

_Is that the Portal companion cube?_

“So you do wear glasses.”

Merlin blinked and raised his eyes back to Arthur’s face. That’s when he noticed his hair was different, too. Not brushed down and parted, probably not even brushed at all. It was all...everywhere, like he’d run his hands nervously through it.

“I think we should talk,” he said when Merlin didn’t say anything.

Merlin was still so bewildered that he just stepped aside to let Arthur in.

“You asked how Phantom was caught,” Arthur said after Merlin closed the door. Merlin turned to face him, still not sure what to say. “It was me. The same way I caught Morderator. With Excalibur.”

It suddenly made so much sense. The gaps in the report at Pendragon Enterprise, the vagueness. “You—”

“It was the last thing I did for my old clan,” Arthur explained. “Black Knight from my group against Phantom from the Internet Druids. I didn’t want any part of it, like I told you before. My father was pressuring me to join the company then and I’d planned on pulling out soon anyway. The war just sped things up. So I took care of Phantom, then left the Order.”

“Why’d you come back? Online, I mean.”

“You remember the night you first came home with me?”

The first time Merlin went to Arthur’s flat. Mercia had been attacked that night, the first of Kilgharrah’s victims. Merlin had found Arthur with his head on the desk, looking defeated.

“Your plan,” Merlin said, piecing it together. “Your backup plan. That was it? To make some new hacker buddies and get them to do the work if your normal programmers couldn’t do it?”

Merlin wasn’t sure if he was bitter or not. The whole thing was so deceiving, so cunning and underhanded. But he probably would’ve done the same thing in Arthur’s position. He _had_ done the same thing. He was only working at Pendragon Enterprise for one reason after all.

To Arthur’s credit, he didn’t try to deny it. “Yes. But I do admit, it...”

He stopped, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck. If Merlin hadn’t been surprised before, he was now. He’d never seen Arthur look so sheepish.

“It what?” he nudged him on.

“It became a bit self-indulgent rather quickly,” Arthur confessed. “I’d missed it. Yes, I needed the position for work, but it was fun, too. I didn’t expect to actually make friends or to enjoy it so much.”

“Oh.”

“And I certainly didn’t expect Emrys to— _you_ to take it upon yourself to write the whole thing. If the people at the office couldn’t do it, I would’ve asked you lot for pointers or something, but the entire anti-virus...That hadn’t been part of the plan.”

“What was the rest of the plan?”

“To just, you know, see if anyone knew anything, had any connections. Once I knew who to target, it’d be easy.”

“Because of Excalibur,” Merlin guessed.

“Exactly.”

Merlin sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“About what? I should be thanking you!”

“No, it’s...it’s my fault. What Mord did. Kilgharrah, all those people losing their jobs, everything. He looked up to me, wanted to be like me, wanted to earn my respect and—”

“How can you say that’s your fault? You didn’t do anything wrong, you were just you. Imagine if every celebrity took the blame for something someone did using them as inspiration. It was Mord’s decision and his alone.”

“But he wouldn’t have made the decision if—”

“No, Merlin, shut up.” Arthur was suddenly there, in Merlin’s face, his eyes staring into Merlin’s with staggering intensity. “There’s no one to blame but him. I don’t blame you and it was my sodding company that was on the line.”

“Either way. I still feel rotten.”

Arthur sighed and shook his head. “Fine. If you won’t see sense, forget it then. There’s still something else we need to talk about.”

Merlin swallowed. “What we’re going to do now.”

“I still want you to work for me.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I—”

Arthur cut himself off, but Merlin didn’t need him to finish.

“Because you like me.”

“Because you’re good at your job.”

“Complimenting me now, are you?”

That’s when something else occurred to Merlin. Something he hadn’t even put together before but which made him blush now.

“Oh God,” he said. Groaned, more like.

Arthur’s brows drew closer. “What?”

“Was I the bloke at work?” Merlin asked. “With the...the distracting mouth?”

Arthur’s mouth opened and closed, and opened again, and Merlin could make out the beginning of a blush on Arthur’s cheeks as well. Still, Arthur said nothing.

“You said you...that you wanted to...”

“I know what I said.”

_To ride my cock while I sucked you off. Jesus fucking Christ._

“You thought about me while you—while we—”

“I know, okay!” Arthur shouted. “I know, I know, I know.”

It was quiet between them after that, and Merlin stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He waited for Arthur to take control of the situation, his arms crossed and his eyes down.

Eventually, Arthur said, “Can I see your computer?”

Merlin was surprised by the grin that suddenly broke out across his own face. A soft little snort had even escaped without his meaning it to.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?” he said, quirking a brow at Arthur.

Arthur grinned and nodded as well. “Alright.”

Merlin walked forward, hesitated a moment, then took hold of Arthur’s hand and led him to his bedroom.

%%%

**THREE WEEKS LATER**

“You’re late.”

Merlin rolled his eyes as he set the latte down on Arthur’s desk. “Yeah, well, someone wanted me to fuck him this morning, and then decided it would be funny to take off before giving me a lift home, so I had to walk all the way back to my—”

“Joking, Merlin,” Arthur said, laughing. “And you wouldn’t’ve had that problem if you’d had the foresight to bring a change of clothes with you last night.”

It looked like Arthur had more to say, but he abruptly put down his drink and motioned for Merlin to close the door. Well, it was more like frantic waving, but Merlin got the idea.

When he heard the sound of clopping heels on the carpet in the corridor, he locked it for good measure.

“What does she want?” Merlin asked, turning around.

Arthur had gone a bit pale in his chair, his eyes a bit wide, so Merlin adjusted his glasses—which he’d started to wear to work since Arthur said he liked them—and walked over to him. He knelt in front of Arthur’s chair and laced their fingers together.

“Is this about what’s on your schedule for today?”

Knocking on the door made Arthur wince and look up, but Merlin raised a hand to his face and turned it back toward him.

“The meeting with your father? About what happens next Monday?”

“I don’t know how to run a company, Merlin. I’m barely decent at this whole vice-CEO business.”

More knocking.

“It’s easy,” Merlin said. “It’s like...” He searched for the right analogy, looking around the office hopelessly. Then it came to him. “It’s like a raid group.”

Arthur laughed. “What?”

Merlin nodded. “Exactly like a raid group. The CEO is the raid leader, Morgana and the finance people are the healers, the programmers are your dps—”

More knocking.

“Merlin, that’s absurd. You can’t compare real life to WoW.”

“I can and will, just you watch me, raid leader Pendragon.”

“Alright fine, then who’re our tanks?” Arthur asked, rolling his eyes like he couldn’t believe he was even going along with it.

Merlin smiled. “Me and you, obviously. You’re main tank and I’m your off tank.”

“Merlin, you can’t tank to save your life.”

“You’re forgetting that I’m an OP death knight.”

“You’re horrible with your death knight, are you kidding me?”

More knocking.

“Yeah, but I’ve got Army of the Dead on cooldown, remember?”

Arthur guffawed. “Oh my God.”

“ _Arthur, I know you’re in there!_ ” Morgana yelled from outside.

“Arthur, you’ll be fine. You’ve spent years learning the fights, and with me there to take aggro it’ll be even easier. That’s what you pay me for, after all.”

Arthur bit his lip, still looking uncertain but seeming much more reassured than before. Merlin stood up and and leaned in close enough to kiss him, once again ignoring the pounding on the door.

“Go on then. The Lich King is waiting.”

“Merlin,” Arthur groaned.

Merlin leaned in closer, whispering in Arthur’s ear. “I’ll fuck you again at lunch.”

That seemed to have an effect.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Hard, the way you like it.”

This time when Morgana knocked, Arthur was out of his chair and across the room in seconds. Merlin saw Arthur mentally reapply his usual snobbish veneer like a professional actor before finally unlocking and opening the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Fic playlist [here](http://neuroticnick.tumblr.com/post/113128204252) if you're interested.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Hacker Merlin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2302886) by [texasfandoodler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/texasfandoodler/pseuds/texasfandoodler)




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